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Lawsuits bring scrutiny to Trinity Broadcasting
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Her suit doesn't list TBN as a defendant, but it alleges that Koper was fired and made to turn over her house, condominium, life insurance policy, car, furniture and jewelry as "an act of Christian contrition" when she complained about the financial misdeeds at TBN.
A similar suit filed by Michael Koper's uncle, Joseph McVeigh, alleges that TBN attorneys also targeted him as part of a campaign of retaliation.
McVeigh's suit names TBN as one of seven defendants and alleges that TBN bought a $50 million luxury jet through a sham loan; owns an $8 million Hawker jet for Jan Crouch's personal use; bought a $100,000 RV for Jan Crouch's dogs and has 13 mansions and homes around the U.S. for the Crouch family's use.
TBN attorney May called the McVeigh's lawsuit a "tabloid filing" and said the allegations in both cases were "utterly and completely contrived." TBN suspects McVeigh, who claims he received a $65,000 loan from the family empire, was working with the Kopers to steal money from the ministry, May said.
The network's spending is in line with its mission to spread the gospel throughout the world, May said, and the Crouches travel by private jet because they have had "scores of death threats, more than the president of the United States."
The ministry keeps large amounts of cash in reserve because incurring debt goes against the Biblical exhortation to "owe no man any thing," he said.
"The answer is, there is no fire there," May said. "They pay as they go and every now and then one of the things that they pay as they go on is the acquisition of a broadcast facility and that's a multi-million dollar transaction."
TBN is no stranger to outside scrutiny.
In 1998, the elder Crouch secretly paid an accuser $425,000 to keep quiet about allegations of a homosexual encounter. Crouch Sr. has consistently denied the allegations, which were first reported by the Los Angeles Times, and has said he settled only to avoid a costly and embarrassing trial.
In 2000, after a five-year battle, a federal appeals court overturned a ruling by the FCC that found Crouch had created a "sham" minority company to get around limits on the number of TV stations he could own.
[BELOW PHOTOS NOT PROVIDED ON THIS SITE]
This image provided by Brittnay Koper shows, from left, Janice Crouch, Brittany Koper, Michael Koper, and Paul Crouch Sr., in an undated photo. Televangelists Paul and Jan Crouch have faced plenty of mountains building their religious broadcast empire _ among them allegations of a homosexual tryst and a prolonged battle with the FCC _ but the most recent attack on the founders of Trinity Broadcasting Network comes from their own flesh and blood. Their granddaughter, Brittany Koper, recently filed court papers that include allegations of $50 million in financial shenanigans at the world's largest Christian broadcasting network. (AP Photo/Brittnay Koper)
This image provided by Brittany Koper shows, from left, Janice Crouch, Brittany Koper, Michael Koper, and Paul Crouch Sr., in an undated photo. Televangelists Paul and Jan Crouch have faced plenty of mountains building their religious broadcast empire _ among them allegations of a homosexual tryst and a prolonged battle with the FCC _ but the most recent attack on the founders of Trinity Broadcasting Network comes from their own flesh and blood. Their granddaughter, Brittany Koper, recently filed court papers that include allegations of $50 million in financial shenanigans at the world's largest Christian broadcasting network. (AP Photo/Brittany Koper)
This March 19, 1998 photo shows the gardens and fountains on the grounds of Trinity Broadcasting Network's international headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif., showing the newly romodled building. Doug Marsh, art director of TBN, designed the remodeling project for TBN's new headquarters. (AP Photo/Orange County Register, Leonard Ortiz) MAGS OUT; Los Angeles Times OUT