Televangelists Paul and Jan Crouch Accused of Defrauding Millions from Trinity Broadcasting Network, Including $100K on Mobile Home for Dogs
Trinity Broadcasting Network, started by Paul and Jan Crouch are in the news over allegations of spending $50 million of its non-profit funding on extravagant personal expenses such as a $100,000 mobile home for Mrs. Crouch’s dogs, 13 mansions and misappropriating “charitable assets” towards a $50 million jet. These allegations were made in a lawsuit filed by the couple’s granddaughter, Brittany Koper, 26, who worked as the network’s chief finance director.
She claims she was fired in September after discovering the ‘illegal financial schemes’ according to the lawsuit obtained by the Los Angeles Times, and consequently reporting them to Mr Crouch.
Her lawsuit follows a second by another former employee and Koper in-law, Joseph McVeigh, the uncle of Mrs Koper’s husband, Michael Koper, who detailed the opulent spending by the Christian network.
According to Mr McVeigh’s accounts filed in his lawsuit, the network used their collections for side-by-side mansions in Florida, as well as in Texas, Tennessee and California.
The network’s $50 million luxury jet was purchased through a sham loan while Mrs Crouch’s personal jet, a Hawker, totalled $8 million, according to his suit.
The 13 properties listed in the suit were also referred to as ‘guest homes’ or ‘church parsonages’ while their directors also received $300,000 to $500,000 in meal expenses, as well as the use of chauffeurs. The suit also accuses the network of using funds to cover up sex scandals according to the Times’ review of the suit. Source
The reality is that organized religion is becoming a turn-off to most people for this very reason, the lavish lifestyle of the pastors and the “big guys” at the expense of the poor and struggling. How many people have made sacrifices to send their scarce dollars to TBN only to hear of this opulence at their expense? How many people have fallen for Juanita Bynum’s line during her appearances on TBN to sow a seed to your need, for example? The supporters of TBN ought to be asking the Internal Revenue Service to launch a thorough investigation of the non-profit and even revoke its tax-exempt status. The only reason Brittany Koper is coming forward is because she felt she was wronged. She grew up in this ministry and we didn’t hear peep out of her because the life was good. Why would Paul and Jan Crouch need a private jet? The excuse is that they have received “scores of death threats, more than the president of the United States,” in their mission to spread the gospel around the world. Yeah, right and donkeys fly.
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