Bakker Called ‘World-Class Half-Truth Master’

A federal prosecutor concluded her fraud case against television evangelist Jim Bakker today by branding him a “world-class master at half-truths” and a former man of God who “fell in love with worldly goods.”

In a scathing summation, prosecutor Deborah Smith showed clips from Bakker’s PTL television show in an attempt to use Bakker’s own words to convict him of crimes that could put him behind bars for 120 years and result in fines of more than $5 million.

“There may have been a time years ago when Mr. Bakker was a good man,” Smith told the jury of six men and six women. “You heard people testify to his good works in the ‘70s but he changed and fell in love with worldly goods and schemed to raise money for that life style.”

“What you saw,” Smith charged, “was a man who used people to obtain money and power. The way he did this was he lied to people. . . .

“Mr. Bakker is a world-class master at half-truths.”

Smith said Bakker started out telling his TV viewers that only 25,000 lifetime memberships would be sold for yearly stays at PTL’s Heritage Grand Hotel, but that he ended up selling 152,903 at $1,000 each. This far exceeded what the organization could handle, she said.

Final arguments were expected to take most of the day, with each side given 3 1/2 hours.

Following final arguments, U.S. District Judge Robert Potter is to instruct the jurors on each of the 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy against Bakker. Jury deliberations could begin as early as Wednesday morning.