Paul Crouch, the co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) who died last year, was investigated by the FBI in the 1990s for alleged involvement in drug and gun running as well as money laundering.
Although the FBI internal report calls Crouch an ‘anti-Semitic white supremacist,’ their investigation halted as soon as they determined he was a religious figure. TBN is the world’s largest televangelism network.
The investigation reportedly began with the Italian IRS, which determined that a TBN subsidiary was breaking that country’s laws. MuckRock has the details:
The first 20 or so pages of the Crouch document make it clear that the FBI and IRS were working closely with the Italian GDF, essentially their Internal Revenue Service, to fully investigate Crouch’s foreign and domestic holdings. According to the file, the FBI and GDF found that, among other things, CHLC, an apparent subsidiary of TBN, was conducting a false financial statements scam they called “pre-billing,” where in order to continue receiving loan money the organization would submit receipts for completed sales that were actually still a “work in progress, with no amount being due from the customer as of the date of the collateral report.”
A CHLC employee confirmed that such practices were occurring. (Screenshot) The Italian side of the investigation ended up centering on TBN’s potential violation of the Italian Mammi law, which according to the document prohibits foreign ownership of broadcasting companies in Italy. In addition, the GDF said it “believes the company maybe be acting as a front for foreign investors,” referring to TBN.
The sensational allegations against TBN include taking money from the Palestinian Liberation Organization and contacts with an East German spy. But were these reports based on real misdeeds, or was the FBI just pursuing wild accusations? It’s a fair question to ask because many of these charges are not unlike the various insane conspiracy theories about Muslims working in the US State Department that are propagated by people like Michele Bachmann.
If there was serious evidence for these allegations, why didn’t the FBI pursue the case at the time?
Underlining the ambivalent nature of the charges, TBN co-founder Earl Paulk was well-known for his opposition to racism and his acceptance of gays, but died in 2009 after years of allegations that he had molested children and conducted affairs.
MuckRock writer M.G. Lee suggests that until the FBI’s redactions are removed, we will never know what was really going on in Paul Crouch’s ministry. I am somewhat less sanguine about the chances of this story ever being resolved one way or the other.
FBI internal report calls Crouch an ‘anti-Semitic white supremacist,’ Be awfully nice if the FBI would do a report on the IRS, but no, stories about year in the grave dead guys from 24 years ago is news to the libtards.
Paul Crouch no matter what your political view was somewhat of a crook. His Granddaughter sue TBN. He allegedly had a homosexual affair. There are even folks on the right that think TBN was a ripe off organization Actually, there were a lot of black minsters on TBN and Blacks in the audience but Paul was a lot in the so-called prosperity gospel.
But he was in the “patriot” movement. Please he was a dolt, so were his followers.
True about his followers.
This story is based on old documents gleaned through FOIA. I suggest you stop making imbecile remarks and get busy spamming the IRS with your own FOIA requests.
All I would get is “sorry we deleted all that” dribble derp.
Do you have any copies of your FOIA’s that received said response?
So clever for using the word “libtard”. Is that what you do all day? Troll liberal websites with stupid words?
He get’s .04 cents worth of Koch in his mouth for every post. Just flag all his posts and move on.
Actually I get a cool buck from Soros. Here to ignite and unite the base. Look how ya’ll come together.
IRS, Benghazi!!!
If you really cared about the truth, you would call for investigations into the reasons for the Iraq invasion, no bid contracts to Halliburton to rebuild Iraq, the deregulation of the banking industry, tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires that doubled the debt in 10 years, gerry-mandering of voting districts, politician’s revolving door in to lobbying for the corporations they are paid to regulate, the privatization of public services, outsourcing jobs, unfair trade deals, etc…
They are all more recent than 24 years, and every one more important than anything the IRS is doing. There are valid reasons for the IRS to suspect political money groups lying about their intentions. Everybody knows it’s a lie.
Just because Fox news calls it a scandal, doesn’t make it a scandal. It’s only news to Teabaggers.
My balls itch douchbag.
I think I’m living in the fuckin’ twilight zone.