If the contents of a lawsuit filed by the granddaughter of Trinity Broadcasting Network founders Paul and Jan Crouch prove to be true, then the inner workings of the famous Christian network are scandalous indeed. The LA Times has the story:
The Trinity Broadcasting Network, which bills itself as the world’s largest Christian network, is embroiled in a legal battle involving allegations of massive financial fraud and lavish spending, including the purchase of a $100,000 motor home for family dogs.
YES? Tell me more.
Brittany Koper, a former high-ranking TBN official and the granddaughter of its co-founder, Paul Crouch Sr., was fired by the network in September after discovering “illegal financial schemes” amounting to tens of millions of dollars, according to a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court.
The article goes on to detail Brittany’s role as a whistleblower for the whole operation, which allegedly included stuff like this:
The lawsuit alleges that Paul Crouch Sr. obtained a $50-million Global Express luxury jet for his personal use through a “sham loan,” and that TBN funds paid for a $100,000 motor home for dogs owned by his wife, Janice Crouch, a network director.
The suit also alleges that TBN bought residences across the country for its directors under the pretext that they were “guest homes” or “church parsonages.” The properties include mansions used by the Crouch family in Newport Beach; side-by-side mansions in Windermere, Fla.; and homes in Nashville; Miami; and Irving, Texas, according to the suit.
Nice. Run of the mill wingnut televangelist extravagance so far, except, wait, there’s more:
The directors also misused funds to cover up sexual scandals, the suit claims.
Ding ding ding! That always comes up with such outfits, doesn’t it? What sort of sexual scandals, praytell? As Right Wing Watch points out, the LA Times sort of sugarcoated that part.
For instance, a section entitled “Multiple cover-ups of sexual and criminal scandals” accuses TBN, among other things, of covering up a “bloody sexual assault,” infidelities by Paul and Jan Crouch, and repeated incidents in which Matt Crouch exposed his genitals to cleaning staff.I’ve included that section below, which mentions a legal settlement with Enoch Lonnie Ford. As previously reported, Ford, a TBN employee, was paid $425,000 to not discuss his alleged sexual encounters with Paul Crouch.
Now THAT is just the kind of juicy stuff I was looking for! I am sure regular readers are completely shocked that such allegations could be raised against such an upstanding right-wing Christian organization as Trinity Broadcasting Network, but please, don’t let that shock ruin your day.
We look forward to seeing just where this lawsuit goes.
