US televangelist Jim Bakker, ensnared in fraud and sex scandal, dies at 86

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Bakker spent four and a half years in prison after being convicted in 1989 ​of defrauding followers in a scheme involving holidays at his Christian theme parkThe US televangelist Jim Bakker, who built a multimillion-dollar empire and lived ⁠in opulence before being disgraced by a...

Bakker spent four and a half years in prison after being convicted in 1989 ​of defrauding followers in a scheme involving holidays at his Christian theme park

The US televangelist Jim Bakker, who built a multimillion-dollar empire and lived ⁠in opulence before being disgraced by a sex scandal, a conviction for defrauding followers and divorce from his television co-host Tammy Faye, has died aged 86.

The death of Bakker, whose journey from the TV pulpit to a prison cell in the 1980s inspired comparisons to the corrupt character of the fictional preacher-huckster Elmer Gantry, was revealed on ⁠social media by his second wife, Lori ⁠Bakker.

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/06/jim-bakker-us-televangelist-fraud-sex-scandal-dead-at-86
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