The YouTube channel Not the Good Girl recently released a detailed 50-minute documentary titled “The Scandals and Family Betrayal of TBN’s Paul and Jan Crouch,” which sheds light on the extensive corruption and exploitation behind the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), one of the world’s largest religious television empires. The exposé offers compelling evidence of how TBN functioned as a fraudulent charity, using religious promises to manipulate millions of viewers into funding the lavish lifestyles of its founders, Paul and Jan Crouch.
According to the documentary, TBN’s rise to prominence began in 1973, when Paul and Jan Crouch, inspired by televangelist peers Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, launched the network with limited resources. Through emotionally charged telethons, dramatic performances, and manipulative donation appeals, the Crouches quickly grew TBN into a financial juggernaut, raising hundreds of millions in tax-free donations. Central to their strategy was the promotion of the so-called “Prosperity Gospel,” a doctrine that promised donors divine financial blessings in exchange for their contributions. Viewers were urged to give more to receive more, often being shamed if they failed to donate sufficient amounts.
As donations poured in, TBN amassed over $1 billion in assets by 2012. These funds were not directed toward charitable works but rather financed an extravagant lifestyle for the Crouch family. They purchased private jets, dozens of luxury homes, expensive wardrobes, underwent plastic surgeries, and employed personal staff, all while continuing to present themselves as humble servants of God on television.
Family dynamics within TBN became increasingly toxic as the financial misconduct worsened. Paul and Jan appointed family members to leadership positions, consolidating control and shielding their activities from outside scrutiny. Paul Crouch Jr. attempted to confront his father about his alcoholism, which sometimes disrupted live broadcasts, but his concerns were initially dismissed. Matters escalated when Paul Jr.’s daughter, Brittany Koper, was promoted to Chief Financial Officer. In her role, Brittany uncovered extensive financial malfeasance, including millions spent on luxury items disguised as ministry expenses, sham loans for private jets, and secret settlements to silence legal threats.
After raising these concerns, Brittany and her family were swiftly fired. She subsequently filed a whistleblower lawsuit against TBN, which triggered a series of legal battles exposing the inner workings of the network. Although many of these cases were dismissed on procedural grounds, they brought to light the staggering level of fraud within TBN’s operations.
Even more disturbing were allegations of abuse within the family. Brittany’s sister, Cara, revealed that she had been sexually assaulted at age 13 by a TBN employee. Instead of supporting her, their grandmother Jan blamed Cara and refused to report the crime, in violation of California’s mandatory reporting laws. Cara later filed a lawsuit for emotional distress and negligence, eventually winning a $2 million judgment in 2017.
The scandals extended beyond financial and familial misconduct. Legal filings and whistleblower testimonies exposed numerous cover-ups involving hush money payouts for affairs, sexual harassment, and even wrongful death incidents tied to TBN personnel. Among these were claims of Jan’s affair with a staff member who played Jesus at TBN’s Holy Land Experience theme park, Paul Sr.’s alleged homosexual encounter with an employee settled for $425,000, and Matthew Crouch exposing himself to female staff members.
Following the deaths of Paul and Jan Crouch in 2013 and 2016 respectively, Matthew Crouch took control of the network. Under his leadership, TBN sought to rebrand itself, moving away from its earlier flamboyant style and adopting a more corporate, conservative image, even hosting right-wing political figures such as Donald Trump. Nevertheless, financial instability plagued the network. Donations plummeted from $200 million annually to just $1.9 million by 2019. The organization sold off major properties, moved large sums of assets to a Texas affiliate, and controversially accepted $3.3 million in pandemic relief funds despite reporting substantial revenues.
Perhaps most damning are the FBI’s investigations into TBN, which became public after Paul Crouch Sr.’s death. The FBI’s heavily redacted 73-page file detailed allegations of money laundering, fraudulent billing practices, and even suspected ties to organized crime figures such as New York mobster Vincent “Chin” Gigante. Investigators also looked into potential arms transactions involving the Palestinian Liberation Organization. While no criminal charges were ultimately filed, the breadth of the allegations underscores the extent to which TBN exploited religious faith to amass power and wealth.
Today, while TBN continues to broadcast, its reputation lies in ruins. The network that once claimed to spread the word of God now stands as a cautionary tale of greed, corruption, and the exploitation of believers. For Atheists, the documentary serves as yet another example of how religious organizations can abuse their tax-exempt status and manipulate faith to enrich themselves, while causing profound harm to both followers and their own families.
