Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists

Sen. Charles Grassley Asks Ministries To Turn Over Financial Records Within One Month

(CBS)  This story was written and reported by Laura Strickler of the CBS News Investigative Unit.

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CBS News has learned Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is investigating six prominent televangelist ministries for possible financial misconduct.

Letters were sent Monday to the ministries demanding that financial statements and records be turned over to the committee by December 6th.

According to Grassley's office, the Iowa Republican is trying to determine whether or not these ministries are improperly using their tax-exempt status as churches to shield lavish lifestyles.

The six ministries identified as being under investigation by the committee are led by: Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. Three of the six - Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar - also sit on the Board of Regents for the Oral Roberts University.

A spokesperson for Joyce Meyer Ministries provided CBS News with an IRS letter to the ministry dated October 10, 2007, that stated: "We determined that you continue to qualify as an organization exempt from Federal income tax." The letter could not be independently verified in time for this story. The ministry also pointed to audited financial statements for the last three years that are posted on the organization's Web site.

In a statement, Benny Hinn's spokesperson, Ronn Torossian, said the ministry is in the process of determining the best course of action in response to the Senate investigation. "World Healing Center Church complies with the laws that govern church and non-profit organizations and will continue to do so," Torossian wrote.

Eddie Long's New Birth Ministries says he has received the request for information from the U.S. Senate and plans to "fully comply. New Birth Ministries has several safeguards put in place to ensure all transactions are in compliance with laws applicable to churches."

In a statement to CBS News, Creflo Dollar called his ministry an "open book" and said he would comply with any "valid request" from Grassley. But he noted that the inquiry raised questions that could "affect the privacy of every community church in America."

Paula White is also expressing concern about precedents that could be set by turning over the requested information.

"We take our financial responsibilities to our partners very seriously and to the best of our knowledge we comply with all tax laws. Our audited financial statements appear on our website," said White, in a statement. "However, we are concerned about the possible precedent and ramifications of this request. We will be reviewing the request and its implications in detail over the coming weeks as we prepare our response."

Because they have tax status as churches, the ministries do not have to file IRS 990 forms like other non-profit organizations - leaving much financial information largely behind closed doors.

The letters sent Monday were the culmination of a long investigation fueled in part by complaints from Ole Anthony, a crusader against religious fraud who operates the Dallas-based Trinity Foundation, which describes itself as a watchdog monitoring religious media, fraud and abuse. "We've been working with them for two years," Anthony told CBS News. "We have furnished them with enough information to fill a small Volkswagen."

Anthony said after twenty years of working with media organizations to expose televangelists, he saw little reform. He says that's why he turned to another tactic, going straight to Grassley. He is confident that Grassley's inquiry will be different, "What we hope is that this will lead to reform in religious nonprofits."

The structure of many televangelist organizations - in which the leadership is often concentrated in one person or one family - has itself been the target of criticism. "Churches like these are ruled as a dictatorship," says Rod Pitzer, who directs research at Ministry Watch in North Carolina, which provides advice for donors to Christian organizations.

Pitzer welcomes the Senate committee investigation. Ministries lacking accountability, he says, "give a black eye to churches and Christians who are trying to do things in the right manner."

[TristanAquino]

\Charles Ernest "Chuck" Grassley is the senior United States Senator from Iowa. He is a member of the Republican Party and has served in the Senate since 1981. He was chairman of the Finance Committee from January to June 2001 and from January 2003 to December 2006; currently, he is the committee's ranking member.Sen. Charles Grassley has said that Microsoft should lay off workers employed on H1-B visas first, which the company has flatly refused. The company said that they practice nothing but fairness in its hiring practices, and the same in layoffs. Accusations of racism have been flying after the request, and <a rev="vote-for" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/03/10/ms-refuses-request-cut-foreign-workers/">Microsoft</a> maintains that it will continue to hire employees on a strictly merit base, and will not resort to discrimination in any way, shape or form.

[onelif]

response to tuckerndfw at 08:35 PM : Nov 09, 2007:

You can always tell a fool; unfortunately you can''t tell him much.

[wackymom-2009]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOGEitD7fGY

Check this out, the life of a scam artist, and his victims....I know God is soooo pleased, what rewards this team will reap in heaven.

[onelif]

wackymom at 10:52 AM : Nov 09, 2007

You answered your diatribe with your last sentence:

***...if these ministers want to start a buisness outside of the "church" for profit, then fine do it on there on time, and there on nickle from the salary they draw.***

They have...with books. Like Danielle Steele or J K Rowling, they are authors and sought after speakers where they draw crowds in the tens of thousands where they travel. So most aren''t paid at all by donations. Osteen, for example, sold well over 4 million copies of his first book. His take was probably around 5 bucks a copy. Do the math. His money is coming out of his extra business. Good grief, Charlie Brown.

[onelif]

I continue to respond to tuckerndfw at 12:18 PM:

***I do not know how Olsteen''''s finances are managed, but I know his contermporaries "give" their books to anyone who "gives" them a "love offering."***

Man, are you right about anything? ALL who give books or other items do as they are required by law: to inform that only what is donated above the fair value of the item is deductible.

***Thereby dodging any tax obligations.***

You continue in your wrongness.

[onelif]

I respond...

***For profit businesses are not subsidized by tax dollars.***

Sure they are and in much greater measure. Farm subsidies. Enterprise Zone grants. All sort of tax incentives to get business to locate somewhere...to name a few.

***Comparing a church to a business or a non-profit that actually provides service to a community is ludicrous.***

Churches provide many services to a community. Starting with worship services...haha...feeding hungry...clothing distribution centers. Grief counseling free of charge. Disaster relief centers.
Prison ministry and rehab of addicts. Divorce care classes...ad nauseum.

***The only people benefiting from these charlatans'''' efforts are themselves.***

Thousands of educated people testify weekly that you are wrong.

[onelif]

Many of these being charged lead congregations of tens of thousands. Among the followers, many attorneys, doctors, astronauts, etc. not just widow with last food dollar. Maybe the plan Jesus taught of give and it shall be given unto YOU might actually work and that''s why thousands of college graduates show up weekly. Maybe their lives have been changed and they no longer are homeless, but now have a job and a life. Maybe these aren''t charlatans, but life changers.

[wackymom-2009]

"tarheel318"

Two wrongs do not make a right, you expect corruption in the secular world, but not in the "ministry"..and to excuse this corruption is in it''s self corrupt thinking on your part...yes people do give these "ministries" money of there on free will, but at the same time these wolves in sheeps clothing tell them you give to my ministry, and God will send you a miricale of healing, wealth, what ever you ask, they prey on the down and out, the ederly, the sick, and that is wrong! If you have a sick child you will do just about anything to see them well again, even send money to these con artist in hopes you recieve that miracle of healing.

[tarheel381]

I would just say that maybe if Congress would probe enough into their own personal spending habits, lavish jets, vacations, etc that by the way tax payers contribute to, maybe they would be fiscally responsible for their own spending. They spend our money that we have no choice but to give or be hauled into court (IRS). They set the tax laws and vote for themselves more raises that increase our taxes. They opt to work a 4 day work week and etc because they are congress. At least the money that these guys are spending were given to them or earned from the sell of merchandise which people freely chose to purchase. If you don''t like these minstries, then fine don''t support them but don''t be jealous because millions of other people do! Evidently these minsitries encourage more people than congress does.

TV preacher Pastor John Hagee is one of the worst (San Antonio''''s Cornerstone Church). He publicaly documented his pay from his ministry at over $1 million per year. Now he hides his finances under his church, rather than report them as a seperate 501c3 for GETV. His family gets to determine his pay, since his Board of Directors was family-dominated (3 of 4 members are family). More info here:
http://open-letter-for-pastor-hagee.org/

[wackymom-2009]

The comparison of "ministries" to a buisness, saying well if the owner of a buisness can profit, then why not these ministers...what a sad statment to make...people start a buisness by sinking there own money in it, or borrowing it from a bank in hopes of turning it into a profit making buisness, a "ministry" is started, or supposed to be started because someone has a desire in there heart given to them by God to help there fellow man, to reach out to a lost soul and bring him to Christ, it is not a venture into becoming rich, and living like a king or queen at the cost of that soul....this is apples and oranges you people who think ministers, and big buisness are one in the same, you will answer to God for thinking that way, as will these "ministers."....no one is expecting them to live in poverty, but there is a huge difference between living like royality, and having a nice middle class life style...if these ministers want to start a buisness outside of the "church" for profit, then fine do it on there on time, and there on nickle from the salary they draw.

[srbanning]

I don''t know if it''s right or wrong to live in such opulance, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that ministers must live in poverty. My only question to these televangelists is what sort of wages are they paying to their lower - level employees. People like those who work in Joyce Meyers distribution center? Are these folks living at poverty level while she and her family live in luxury?

[onelif]

***And, if the asset is not for use by eveyrone in the organization, it is not eligible for an exemption.***

Can any and all of the WalMart employees use any of the 24 corporate jets? Heck, they can''t even get the key to the executive bathroom.

[onelif]

***Mr. Feel Good (Joel Olsteen) brags he takes no salary. Well, that''''s real kind of him but what that means is he pays no taxes at all other than sales tax.***

No, what he means is that he receives no salary from the donations of the church; his income is taken from the sales of his 2 best seller books. On that money he has paid taxes like any other author. Most of the money from book sales has gone into the church as a donation.

***But the majority of their expenses are personal expenses and should not be exempt. Including Rolls-Royces, Lear jets, vacation homes, etc.***

Right in part..wrong in part. Transportation, whether Rolls or Toyota can be deducted by the peercentage of use for business for ANY corporation including non-profits. Any vehicle gift is taxed as though income. This isn''t the charge against Creflo. Charge is whether such a gift is appropriate to be given from a non-profit to its head.

Most large corporations provide jets for their top management. Wal-Mart has I think 24 such jets. Even in a for profit business, jets are deductible by the business as expense. These guys and gals travel 150,000 to 200,000 miles per year in speaking engagements while rushing back to minister in local churches; jets seem logical as business expense, not luxury.

[feathered1]

When Mary spends her money in Alpha-Mart, does she later demand an accounting of where the clerk who served Mary spent her money? Who did Mary actually give the money to when the clerk took it? Keep in mind that Mary was not under gun threat to shop at Alpha-Mart in the first place. Taxes are mandatory, giving is not. Regardless of who the clerk is (neighborhood Pastor Charlie, Dr. Creflo Dollar, the Food Bank Volunteer or Joyce Meyer, etc.), any money collected is (in all actuality) given to & belongs to God, THE OWNER, not the employee. Any one know what kind of sink Oprah or Bill Gates have and how much they spent for it? Did a poor person pay for it? Mary spent her last dollar for a loaf of bread so that the owner of Alpha-Mart could have leather seats. Is that right? Mary was hungry and she gladly paid the price.

[onelif]

There is a lot of vitriol here towards preachers and churches. Any minister has to pay taxes on his income just like all other Americans. If a Rolls Royce or a Volkswagen is giving to hi by his church, he has to pay tax on the gift as though income. Because these guys (& girls) travel 150,000 miles annually, their corporations sometimes purchase jets which are deductible expenses just as with ANY corporation.

Most universities and hospitals were started by churches. Many still carry name of St. Dominick''''s or Methodist, etc. Why the hatred toward Christian churches? And why are only 6 non-denominational leaders selected when the cardinals and bishops of the Catholic Church live here in America in opulence with mansions decorated with artwork costing in the millions?

[wallacrr]

Idont have a problem with any of them having what they have. They just need to pay taxes on all of it!

[rissa52]

I guess if you want to take the minds of the people off what is happening else where you start beating the old horse....My thoughts are that Sen. Charles Grassley, over the Senate Finance finace committee owes somebody something so he started throwing up a smoke screen to cover up his MESS!...GAS prices!!!! think GAS prices..you need to think about away to get these GAS prices down and jobs to stop going over seas..I hope the Preachers that you are so busy slandering will pray that we get relief from the HIGH GAS prices...I believe that they are doing a fine job and you need to leave them alone....

[justliloldme]

Not surprisingly some of television''s top ministers and evangelists are being scrutinized for possible financial wrongs. This seems like an initiative by some busybody attention seeker. I say probe the oil industry now and once again in light of the atrocious announcement of another fuel increase due to so called shortages. Let''s use our funds where they really matter. The religious sector is well aware of its hot seat concerning tax exempt status and is jealously eyed for its liberal tax benefits. This is of long standing. Go where the crime is rampant and destructive. Leave the preachers and goodwill leaders alone, PLEASE.

[mzrida]

RevRafael, you hit the nail on the head! God bless you, my brother in Christ! And I will check out your site.