The Prosperity Gospel–also known as “Health and Wealth Gospel,” “Name it and Claim it,” and “Word of Faith”–is a perversion of the biblical gospel that teaches that the primary purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection is to create material gain for those who have enough “faith.”

Adherents to this false gospel are found primarily in the charismatic movement and include prominent figures such as Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, and T.D. Jakes. But the movement also includes as Joel Osteen who isn’t as focused on the charismaticism as much as he is the financial prosperity of his movement.

But the movement extends far beyond the famous and popular well-known and into the smallest sectors of society. You will often find prosperity gospel cults tucked away in small, run-down strip malls typically targeting low-income families who are desperately seeking an easy way out of their financial plight.

The Sun recently reported that one of these prosperity gospel charlatans has been arrested on charges of misusing government funded PPP loans to purchase 39 cars for himself, nearly 3.5 million dollars.

Rudolph Brooks, pastor of Kingdom Tabernacle in Washington, D.C., according to the report, “used the funds to buy a total of 39 used cars – including a Tesla, a Bentley, and more,” and the FBI seized $2.2million from his personal accounts.

Brooks was lauded on his church’s website before the page was taken down (but can still be seen at this link) as one who “desires to see believers grow spiritually and desires to see the church function according to the word of the Lord” and whose “intense love for the Lord, relentless spirit and ability to tap into the very heart of God make him a memorable speaker.” Of course, it looks like the most memorable thing about him–as with all prosperity gospel charlatans–is the fact that he fleeced his own sheep and the people of the United States for his own personal gain.