Fraud Sentence Almost at End for Jim Bakker
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Former televangelist Jim Bakker will begin life as a free man this week after serving about five years of an eight-year sentence, federal prison officials said Monday.
Bakker’s sentence, imposed for bilking his followers out of $158 million, officially ends Thursday. He was released to a Salvation Army halfway house in July and has been on a home detention program since August.
His attorney, Harold Bender, said Bakker is “considering some opportunities . . . offers concerning the ministry . . . appearances on television shows.” He said Bakker has not decided whether to return to televangelism.
Bakker, 54, was convicted in 1989 after he and his then-wife, Tammy Faye, allegedly spent millions of dollars bilked from members of the now-defunct Praise the Lord club. They bought a host of extravagances, including homes and an air-conditioned dog house.
The ministry collapsed after Bakker admitted a sexual encounter with Jessica Hahn, a church secretary.
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