On this day, Oct. 24, 1989, televangelist Jim Bakker was sentenced to 45 years for his conviction on 24 counts of fraud. Jim and his wife, Tammy Faye, who tearfully implored viewers to send money to their ministry, spread the gospel and generated $120 million in annual revenue. But the Praise the Lord ministry came tumbling down in 1987 amid disclosures that Jim Bakker had an affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn and paid her $265,000 in hush money.
A North Carolina jury found that Bakker defrauded his followers and diverted more than $3 million to finance his opulent personal life. His sentence was reduced to 18 years and he was released on parole after five years in prison.
— Scott McCabe
