Word: bakkers
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...Federal Government dumped a hefty chunk of coal into Jim Bakker's Christmas stocking last week. In a 28-page indictment, the former top man of the scandal-plagued PTL TV ministry was charged with 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy. His wife and co-star Tammy Faye, televangelism's dolled-up super- shopper, escaped by an eyelash, but three associates were also charged: PTL's former No. 2 administrator, Richard Dortch, and Bakker aides David and James Taggart...
...Bakker and Dortch could receive lengthy prison terms. They were charged with illegally taking some $4 million in bonuses out of the PTL trough. In addition, says the Government, they vastly oversold lifetime "partnerships" that promised lodging at the Grand Hotel and other accommodations at Bakker's Heritage USA theme park in Fort Mill, S.C. In one variation of the scam, some 9,700 hapless "partners" were offered the right to stay regularly in what turned out to be a single bunkhouse with 48 beds. As for the Taggart brothers, they are said to have helped themselves to $1.1 million...
...indictments were not enough, Bakker's world crumbled further on two other fronts. In an article appearing in the January Penthouse, John Wesley Fletcher, a former Bakker crony, details homosexual encounters with Bakker, claiming that he also procured other young men for the boss. In ongoing bankruptcy proceedings for PTL itself, an exasperated Judge Rufus Reynolds has thrown out a $115 million bid from a Toronto firm for the theme park, cable network and other holdings, deciding instead to have an auction this week. If the price is not right, or payment terms are not favorable enough, the judge could...
...Bakker and friends are expected to plead innocent; their trial may begin by mid-1989. With such seasoned stars and a number of flamboyant lawyers on hand, it should be one of the livelier gospel spectaculars since Jim and Tammy went...
...Bakker's lecture was followed by a brief call-in question-and-answer period and a screening of "The Great Dinosaur Hunt," a special in "The Infinite Voyage" television series. The lecture and film were beamed live to colleges campuses across the country and also will be aired January...