The Nation : Bakker Pleads Not Guilty in PTL Case

Evangelist Jim Bakker pleaded not guilty in Charlotte, N.C., to federal charges that he diverted millions of dollars from his PTL television audience for personal use. Bakker’s lawyer, George T. Davis, asked U.S. Magistrate Paul Taylor during the hearing for a gag order for all parties involved. In seeking the gag order, Davis presented Taylor with a copy of a recent newspaper article in which retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Rufus Reynolds, who supervised the sale of PTL assets, called Bakker a “sawed-off little runt.” Taylor said he would consider the request, instructing attorneys to draft a consent order and present it to him by Thursday for approval. “I am definitely not guilty of any charges in this indictment,” Bakker said after the hearing.