Grifting for Jesus -- Charlie Pierce

[kentuck]

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a55931/jay-sekulow-trump-lawyer/

<snip>
The list is a long and a proud one. Jim Bakker, off to the sneezer for mail fraud. Jimmy Swaggart, caught frequenting the illicit lady-chalices in that luxurious neighborhood called Out By The Airport. Ralph Reed, shopping the anger of his pious suckers for a fat fee to casino owners who would then sit back and watch Reed bring down the wrath of God and his Chosen Shut-Ins down on the competition and, in his spare time, running a laundromat for Jack Abramoff's money.

To this list of God's own grifters, as The Guardian reports, add the name of Jay Sekulow, defender of religious liberty, recently hired mouthpiece for President* Donald Trump, and all-around lover of other people's money.

Documents obtained by the Guardian show Sekulow that month approved plans to push poor and jobless people to donate money to his Christian nonprofit, which since 2000 has steered more than $60m to Sekulow, his family and their businesses. Telemarketers for the nonprofit, Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism (Case), were instructed in contracts signed by Sekulow to urge people who pleaded poverty or said they were out of work to dig deep for a "sacrificial gift". "I can certainly understand how that would make it difficult for you to share a gift like that right now," they told retirees who said they were on fixed incomes and had "no extra money" – before asking if they could spare "even $20 within the next three weeks". In addition to using tens of millions of dollars in donations to pay Sekulow, his wife, his sons, his brother, his sister-in-law, his niece and nephew and their firms, Case has also been used to provide a series of unusual loans and property deals to the Sekulow family.

<snip>
Sekulow's brother, Gary, the chief operating officer of the nonprofits, has been paid $9.2m in salary and benefits by them since 2000. Gary Sekulow has stated in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filings that he works 40 hours per week – the equivalent of a full-time job – for each of the nonprofits. Filers are told to specify if any of the hours were spent on work for "related organizations". He does not. Meanwhile, a company run by Gary's wife, Kim Sekulow, has received $6.2m since 2000 in fees for media production services and for the lease of a private jet, which it owned jointly with Jay Sekulow's company Regency Productions. The jet was made available for the use of Jay and Pam Sekulow, according to corporate filings. Jay's two sons, and Gary's son and daughter, have also shared at least $1.7m in compensation for work done for the nonprofits since 2000.

[Stonepounder]

1. The reek of corruption coming out of Washington

is so vile we can smell it some 500 mi due West. We thought it was river smell rising up from the Ohio, but we have come to realize it is just DC funk.

[madokie]

3. I'm 1500 or so mile west

Here in northeast oklahoma and I can smell it and its almost more than I can take. Have to stay in most days to keep away from the smell

[Vinca]

2. That scheme sounds eerily similar to Trump University. Scammers gotta scam.

[Duppers]

4. K & R

Glad this sick, F'n crook has been exposed. I know an IRS agent who said it's difficult to nail anyone having to do with a religious org. Because of this country's overall religious mindset, they're more or less considered untouchables.

Good reporting by the Guardian.

[dalton99a]

5. Great article.