Ministry and fundraising scandal Robert Tilton

1 ministry , fundraising scandal

1.1 allegations of exploitation of vulnerable people
1.2 undercover investigation
1.3 meeting response media
1.4 1991 primetime live documentary ( apple of god s eye )
1.5 denial
1.6 further revelations
1.7 government involvement
1.8 failed libel action
1.9 tilton sued fraud

ministry , fundraising scandal

in 1991, diane sawyer , abc news conducted investigation of tilton (as 2 other dallas-area televangelists, w.v. grant , larry lea). investigation, assisted trinity foundation president ole anthony , broadcast on abc s primetime live on november 21, 1991, alleged tilton s ministry threw away prayer requests without reading them, keeping accompanying money or valuables sent ministry viewers, garnering ministry estimated us$80 million year.

allegations of exploitation of vulnerable people

ole anthony, dallas-based minister trinity foundation church works homeless , poor on east side of dallas, first took interest in tilton s ministry in late 1980s after of people coming trinity foundation told him had lost of money making donations of higher profile televangelists, fellow dallas-area minister robert tilton. curious pervasiveness of problem, trinity foundation got on mailing lists of several televangelists, including tilton, , started keeping records of many types of solicitations received daily various ministries.

former coca-cola executive harry guetzlaff came trinity foundation after had been turned away tilton s church when found himself on hard times following divorce. had been longtime high-dollar donor , gave last $5,000 vow of faith weeks earlier. guetzlaff s experience, combined sheer magnitude of mailings tilton s ministry, spurred anthony, former intelligence officer in united states air force , licensed private investigator, start full investigation of tilton s ministry. guetzlaff joined anthony in task of gathering details on tilton s operation , later did of legwork in finding , following paper trail abc news investigation.

undercover investigation

in november 21, 1991 promotional appearance primetime live televangelist investigation on live regis , kathie lee, diane sawyer said had watched several televangelist programs, including robert tilton s success-n-life, during travels reporter , fascinated them, disturbed . stressing knew how sensitive people reporters questioning religion, said spoke other reporters, , abc producers, decided conduct own investigation number of more prominent televangelists, settling in 1991 on 3 featured in primetime live episode: w.v. grant, larry lea, , tilton. according sawyer, abc producers, including tilton segment producer robbie gordon, learned possible resources available ole anthony , trinity foundation, , contacted trinity information on tilton. after comparing accumulated notes, data , details, 2 groups decided pool efforts , began planning undercover portion of story. anthony agreed portray himself dallas-based minister small church looking ways televangelist ministries grow quickly, , abc producers pose anthony s media consultants.

meeting response media

the team, armed hidden cameras , microphones, arrived meeting @ response media, tulsa-based marketing firm handling tilton s mass mailings, discuss proposal sent anthony response media fundraising religious-based tv talk show. director of response media, jim moore, described anthony , hidden cameras (concealed in undercover primetime live producers glasses , handbags) many techniques used tilton raise funds ministry. moore said tilton doing far better knows , described main strategy tilton employed such high return rate on mailings—that is, send recipient gimmick compelled recipient mail in return, , recipients include money along it. moore declined disclose how response media paid services or how money mailings generating tilton ministry.

however, part of sales pitch anthony, moore disclosed response letters generated fundraising mailings response media sends out clients never delivered client; instead, sent unopened client s financial institution or other institutions of choice. never have touch it, moore added in response clarification question ole anthony dealing gimmick objects sent potential donors in mails. 1 of abc producers asked whether standard practice— mail goes straight bank? —and moore asserted was: mail goes bank, , put money in account. paper person s name , how gave.

1991 primetime live documentary ( apple of god s eye )

trinity foundation members, acting on information, started digging through dumpsters outside tilton s many banks in tulsa area dumpsters outside office of tilton s lawyer, j.c. joyce (also based in tulsa). on next 30 days, trinity s garbologists , anthony dubbed them, found tens of thousands of discarded prayer requests, bank statements, computer printouts containing coding how tilton s personalized letters generated, , more, of shown in detail on tilton segment within primetime live documentary, titled apple of god s eye . in follow-up broadcast on november 28, 1991, primetime live host diane sawyer said trinity foundation , primetime live assistants found prayer requests in bank dumpsters on 14 separate occasions in 30-day period.

denial

tilton vehemently denied allegations , took airwaves on november 22, 1991, on special episode of success-n-life entitled primetime lies air side of story. tilton asserted prayer requests found in garbage bags shown on primetime live investigation stolen ministry , placed in dumpster sensational camera shot, , prayed on every prayer request received, point laid on top of prayer requests chemicals got [his] bloodstream, and... [he] had 2 small strokes in [his] brain. tilton remained defiant on claims regarding use of donations ministry fund various purchases, asking, ain t allowed have nothing? regards ownership of multiple multimillion-dollar estates. tilton claimed needed plastic surgery repair capillary damage lower eyelids ink seeped skin prayer requests.

further revelations

after trinity foundation members spent weeks poring on details of documents , abc had uncovered, sorting , scrutinizing each prayer request, bank statement, , computer printout dealing codes tilton s banks , legal staff used when categorizing returned items, ole anthony called press conference in december 1991 present described tilton s wheel of fortune, using large display covered in actual prayer requests, copies of receipts document disposition, , other damaging information demonstrated happened money , prayer requests average viewer of tilton s television program sent him. when both tilton , lawyer j.c. joyce reacted news claiming items anthony displaying had somehow been stolen insider, anthony responded in subsequent interview joyce our mole—a lot of stuff came dumpster outside office.

primetime live s original investigation , subsequent updates included interviews several former tilton employees , acquaintances. in original investigation, 1 of tilton s former prayer hotline operators claimed ministry cared little desperate followers called prayer, saying tilton had computer installed in july 1989 make sure phone operators talked no caller longer 7 minutes. former employee revealed specific instructions given them in terms of how talk callers , told ask $100 vow @ minimum. in original report, former friend of tilton s college (who remained anonymous , shown in silhouette) claimed both , tilton attend tent revival meetings sport , claim anointed , healed @ meetings. added 2 had discussed notion after graduation set own roving revival ministry , drive around country , rich. in july 1992 update investigation, primetime live interviewed tilton s former maid, claimed prayer requests sent tilton s house ministry routinely ignored until told move them out of house , garage; according maid, stacked , stacked in tilton s garage until had them thrown away. in same interview, tilton s former secretary came forward , claimed tilton lifted excerpts rich quick books , used them in sermons, , never saw him perform normal pastoral duties such visiting sick , praying members.

government involvement

despite tilton s repeated denials of misconduct, state of texas , federal government became involved in subsequent investigations, finding more causes concern tilton s financial status each new revelation. after 10,000 pounds of prayer requests , letters tilton ministry found in disposal bin @ tulsa area recycling firm in february 1992, along itemized receipts of delivery tilton s main mail-handling service in tulsa rather church offices in farmers branch, tilton admitted in deposition given texas attorney general s office prayed on computerized lists of prayer requests instead of actual prayer requests themselves, , prayer requests in fact routinely thrown away after categorization.

as each revelation became increasingly more damaging, viewership , donations declined dramatically. last episode of success-n-life aired nationally on october 30, 1993. time, viewership had fallen 85% , monthly donations went $8 million $2 million.

failed libel action

in 1992, tilton sued abc libel because of investigation , report, case dismissed in 1993. federal judge thomas rutherford brett, in july 16, 1993 dismissal of case, stated information in trinity foundation s logs on prayer requests reportedly found in dumpsters on september 11, 1991, not have been found because postmark date after september 11, 1991 , noted ole anthony had recanted erroneous entries in subsequent affidavit. tilton appealed decision in 1993; although findings of original court upheld in 1995, federal judge michael burrage s opinion criticized abc , primetime live producers editing of story , noted abc had been warned own religion editor, peggy wehmeyer (who knew ole anthony work religion reporter @ abc affiliate wfaa-tv in dallas), mr. anthony not trusted , obsessed crusade against [tilton]. tilton once more appealed decision, time u.s. supreme court in 1996, court refused hear case.

tilton sued fraud

several donors tilton s television ministry sued tilton in 1992–93, charging various forms of fraud. 1 plaintiff, vivian elliott, won $1.5 million in 1994 when discovered family crisis center had made donation (and recorded endorsement testimonial) never built or intended built. judgment later reversed on appeal.

as part of defense strategy fraud cases, tilton sued ole anthony, harry guetzlaff , 4 plaintiff s lawyers had filed fraud cases against him in federal court in tulsa. tactic known critics slapp (strategic litigation against public participation) suit. tilton claimed individuals conspired violate first amendment rights under post-civil war federal statute designed protect blacks ku klux klan. (42 u.s.c. sec. 1985.) defense attorneys martin merritt of dallas , aclu lawyer michael linz, of dallas, others won dismissal 6 defendants in federal district court. on appeal, in tilton v. richardson, 6 f.3d 683 (10th cir.1993), 10th circuit court of appeals affirmed dismissal on grounds 42 u.s.c. sec. 1985 did not protect nonminority individual against purely private conspiracy, if 1 existed. fraud cases continued until texas supreme court ruled plaintiffs not prove damages because not show that, if tilton had prayed on prayer requests, prayers have been answered.

the decline of success-n-life led end of tilton s 25-year marriage wife marte, had been administrative head of word of faith family church , world outreach center, in 1993. dallas lawyer gary richardson, represented many of parties suing tilton fraud, attempted intervene in tiltons divorce, citing potential divorce settlement used hide financial assets part of many fraud cases; richardson s petition have divorce action put on hold until after fraud cases settled denied. marte intervened in tilton s second divorce leigh valentine, had asked court include church , property community property in proceedings. under texas law, property accumulated during marriage considered community property , subject division between parties in divorce. jury ruled against request.