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| Jan Crouch was famous for the big wigs and nightie costumes on air. |
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| Paul Crouch is the gay caballero of religious TV. His costumes are comical and cowboy-like. He died several years ago. |
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Jan Crouch, who with her late husband Paul co-founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network, died on Tuesday following a massive stroke, her family announced on the network’s website.
“Those who battled for the Kingdom of God knew her as a fighter – someone who didn’t give up, someone who fought relentlessly to get the Gospel around the world,” the announcement, signed by Matt, Laurie, Cayland and Cody Crouch, said.
“To a select few she was not a television figure, but was sister, wife, Mom, or Grandma – an integral part of our family,” the announcement continued, “Jan Crouch loved many things, but most of all she loved Jesus, and now has seen Him face to face and has experienced his grace in fullness. She has taken a piece of our hearts with her, but it’s so wonderful to know that Paul and Jan Crouch are together again, in the arms of Jesus.”
Fox News reported she had suffered a stroke just days earlier.
The couple launched the network in 1973 when they took over some air time on a station in California.
TBN officials now say it is carried by more than 5,000 stations.
His career took him from helping build an educational AM station while a student at Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri, to radio personality in Rapid City, South Dakota, to work with several California stations.
It was 1974 when TBN purchased its first TV station, KLXA-TV (now KTBN-TV 40) in Southern California. Since then, TBN has grown to reach every major continent via 84 satellite channels and over 18,000 television and cable affiliates around the world.
Jan and Paul also anchored TBN’s flagship program, “Praise the Lord,” a nightly two-hour talk show featuring guests, Scripture and entertainment.
The Crouches, and TBN, have received a number of awards, including the Golden Angel award from the Excellence in Media organization and the Parents Television Council Entertainment Seal of Approval.
The network’s obituary said, “A woman of great faith, courage, and compassion, Jan, as she was known by millions of friends around the world, spent her life spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to every continent, and encouraging everyone she touched with God’s love and grace.”
Her parents were Rev. and Mrs. Edgar Bethany of New Brockton, Alabama. She grew up in Columbus, Georgia.
She attended Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri, where the two met. They married in 1957.
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| Trinity Broadcasting Network - so much like Thrivent in Appleton. |
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| Thrivent is so much like the Crouch Empire. |
The granddaughter of Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Paul and Jan Crouch has accused the world’s largest Christian broadcaster of unlawfully distributing charitable assets worth more than $50 million to the company’s directors.
The charges are leveled in a federal lawsuit filed by Crouch granddaughter Brittany Koper (far left) last week against her former lawyers, who also do legal work for TBN.
“Observers have often wondered how the Crouches can afford multiple mansions on both coasts, a $50 million jet and chauffeurs,” said Tymothy MacLeod, Koper’s attorney. “And finally, with the CFO coming forward, we have answers to those questions.”
Koper had served as chief financial officer, director of finance, corporate treasurer and director of human resources for Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana, which does business as Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), according to the suit. Koper’s complaint is not directed against her grandparents or TBN — but against the two attorneys who handle some TNB legal work, and who once worked for Koper herself. She accuses them of professional negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and other transgressions in the suit.
Koper was using these attorneys for her personal affairs, and she went to them with her suspicions over the legality of the payments to TBN’s directors, only to be told to shut up, return everything she had earned through TBN to the company, and be gone, according to the suit.
Douglass S. Davert of Davert & Loe in Long Beach is one of the attorneys targeted in Koper’s suit. ”Her assertions are outright fiction and wholly without merit,” he said. ”The allegations are defamatory and to the extent they get printed we are going to defend ourselves vigorously.”
Davert said he couldn’t comment fully on pending litigation, but that there’s a great deal more going on here. To wit:
Koper and her husband were actually the ones doing the misdeeds, according to a suit originally filed by Davert & Loe in Orange County Superior Court in October (the original and amended complaints are here).
Though apparently crafted to avoid mentioning TBN, that suit accused Koper and her husband — both of whom worked for TBN and were on its board of directors — of forging documents and misappropriating funds to the tune of some $400,000. The suit was dismissed without settlement in January.
Koper’s lawyer says that suit was a preemptive strike, an attempt to discredit Koper, because Koper was going to blow the whistle.
Redemption Strategies Inc. — a corporation formed by Loe on Oct. 17 — sued the Koperts on Oct. 18, charging embezzlement, fraud, intentional misrepresentation and other misdeeds. At the time, Davert & Loe were still representing Koper, MacLeod said.
“It’s kind of a sordid affair,” said MacLeod, Koper’s attorney. “Many layers. But at the heart is the wrongful termination. She was terminated for insider whistleblowing.”
We asked TBN to comment directly on these new cases, and will let you know if and when we hear back.
TBN, a nonprofit, reported revenues of $175.6 million, expenses of $193.7 million, and net assets of $827.6 million at the end of 2010, according to its tax returns. Its highest-paid officer was Paul Crouch, with compensation of $400,000. Its officers, directors and key employees included Paul and Jan Crouch, Paul Crouch Jr., Matthew Crouch, Koper and her husband, among others, according to TBN’s most recent tax returns.
MacLeod said that Koper is readying documentation regarding her charges and will submit a package to the Internal Revenue Service for its review.
We’ll keep you posted on how all this shakes out.
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| Not the Ich-abode. This is one of 30 deluxe properties owned by "the ministry" of Trinity Blasphemy Network. http://www.inplainsite.org/html/tele-evangelist_lifestyles.html |
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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Paul and Jan Crouch, Trinity Blasphemy Network. Su...":
Issues Etc episode on the Trinity Blasphemy Network:
http://issuesetc.org/2012/03/23/4-financial-scandal-at-the-trinity-broadcast-network-bob-liichow-3232012/