Amid PTL’s success, Jim was accused of using money donated to his church to fund personal expenses. In fact, he admitted to paying church secretary Jessica Hahn more than $200,000 to stay quiet after she accused him of sexual assault.
After the scandal, he stepped away from PTL and was indicted on 15 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and eight counts of mail fraud in 1988. The next year, he was found guilty on all 24 counts and was sentenced to 45 years in prison, though he appealed and wound up serving less than five. (Jim and Tammy Faye’s divorce was finalized in 1992.)
After prison, Jim went back to evangelism, starting a new ministry called Morningside. And in 2003, he launched The Jim Bakker Show, where he continued to spread his religious beliefs.
“I plan to stay in this pulpit until I die,” he said during an April 26 episode of The Jim Bakker Show. “So, if I die someday preaching, say, ‘praise God he went to heaven.’”
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