Oct. 4, 1988: Televangelist Jim Bakker is indicted on fraud charges

Monday 4 October 2010

On Oct. 4, 1988, Jim Bakker was indicted on federal fraud charges relating to the television ministry he owned with his wife, Tammy Faye. Beginning with a television show called Praise the Lord, the Bakkers eventually expanded their ministry into The PTL Television Network.

As their ministry’s assets topped $1 million a week, accusations of embezzlement led to a federal probe of Jim Bakker’s fundraising activities. In 1987, Bakker was accused of sexually assaulting his former secretary and paying her more than $300,000 to keep quiet about the incident. A year later, Bakker was indicted on 24 counts of fraud and conspiring to defraud the public. Convicted on all counts, Bakker served five years in federal prison.