Televangelist, Jim Bakker, is best known for his financial crimes of the 1980s which led him to a federal conviction and originally sentenced to 45 years in prison — which was later reduced to 8 years. Bakker, who continues to defraud people by selling useless supplements and making dubious claims about their effectiveness against diseases, is now under scrutiny for receiving somwhere between between $650,000 and $1.7 million in federal PPP loans during the coronavirus.

A Yahoo News report raises the question of whether or not Bakker’s company was eligible to receive the loan since companies were required to certify that they were and his company is currently under litigation. According to the report, Bakker’s attorney gave the following statement:

“We strongly believe that Morningside’s offering of a legal product, sold by stores across the country, did not violate any laws; a fact underscored by the FDA taking no action against Morningside and issuing its letter closing the warning letter process on July 14th. The allegations made by the Missouri and Arkansas attorneys general concern only this product, and Morningside had suspended its offering of that product prior to the date of its PPP loan application.”

Earlier this year, Bakker received a cease and desist letter from New York Attorney General, Lisa Landau, who stated that his show was “hereby advised to immediately cease and desist from making misleading claims regarding the Silver Solution’s effectiveness as they violate New York’s consumer protection statutes, Executive Law … and General Business Law … which prohibit fraudulent and deceptive business practices and false advertising.”

Later, Bakker claimed that credit card companies had cut him off due to his continued promotion of his “Silver Solution” which he claimed had the ability to cure the coronavirus without any scientific evidence.

Bakker’s legal team is trying to paint Bakker is a target of persecution by the government. While we certainly believe in the civil right to free speech and religion, we do not support or condone illegal activity involving fraud and scams.