Jim Whittington
Reverend Jim Whittington (born February 16, 1941 in Dillon, South Carolina). Whittington is a televangelist and faith healer[1] who spent 2 1/2 years in prison for money laundering, mail fraud, conspiracy, and interstate transportation of stolen property from his evangelist crusades and direct mail business in the 1980s.
In 1992, Whittington and four others were convicted of stealing $848,532 from Valeria Lust while Whittington was the on-air presence for Fountain of Life Ministries.[2] They said Whittington's ministry paid for cars, jewelry, and a country club membership. He had been known to own expensive high-speed boats and a Rolls-Royce.[3][4]
Prosecutors said Whittington kept his luxurious lifestyle after leaving prison in 1995 and in ten years had repaid less than two percent of the money he owed. On November 2, 2005, U.S. District Court Judge Malcolm Howard ordered Whittington to pay Lust's estate $5,500 a month.[3][4] Whittington said that "I'm being persecuted because I'm a man of God".[4]
Whittington's ministry is now aimed at Jamaica and the Caribbean area.[3][4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Johnson, Robert (October 10, 1988). "Minor Evangelists, Out of TV's Glare, Have Major Flocks --- They Also Earn Big Money With Unusual Pitches; Shades of Elmer Gantry". Wall Street Journal (New York, N.Y.): p. 1.
- ^ Evangelical leader quits over gay sex allegation, The Guardian, November 4, 2006, by Suzanne Goldenberg
- ^ a b c Ovaska, Sarah (November 2, 2005). "Preacher ordered to repay $848,532". News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.): p. B.5.
- ^ a b c d "Former Greenville minister ordered to make payments to Florida woman". Daily Reflector (Greenville, N.C.). November 3, 2005.
