NATION : Jim Bakker ‘Loved Things and Used People,’ Jurors Told as Trial Opens

A federal prosecutor today outlined the government’s fraud and conspiracy case against PTL founder Jim Bakker, saying the evangelist became a man “who loved things and used people.”

Prosecutor Jerry Miller, in his opening remarks to the jury, said, “This case is about cheating people, about taking their money, about tricking people out of their money by misrepresenting a Christian theme park.”

Bakker, 49, could face 120 years in prison if convicted on 24 fraud and conspiracy counts stemming from the way he raised and spent money at PTL. The central issue is the sale of “lifetime partnerships,” which promised three nights’ free lodging each year for life to anyone who gave PTL $1,000.

Defense lawyer George T. Davis called Bakker a creative, religious genius and said there is no evidence that he sold anything or had any criminal intent to defraud people.

“We will prove that there was not a sale of one single membership or lifetime partnership,” Davis said. “What happened was gifts or donations. This was a church. This was an outreach program.”