But the bombastic and fantastically successful television preacher - and cousin to rock-and-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis - was doing something with that prostitute in a cheap New Orleans hotel room in early 1988. Swaggart was one of Jim Bakker's fiercest critics when the Bakker scandal broke, telling an interviewer he himself had never even kissed a woman other than his wife. Mental Floss: 10 great love affairs in history In the end he only served five, and moved forward with his life, eventually opening a new ministry in a restaurant in Branson, Missouri. In 1989, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison for fleecing his flock of $158 million. But when the scandal broke in 1987, questions began to be raised about Bakker's financial dealings. He had paid a former church secretary named Jessica Hahn to keep quiet about a sexual encounter they had in 1980. Mental Floss: Proposing the presidential wayīut Jim had a couple of dirty little secrets. They pulled in millions of dollars in contributions to their PTL (Praise the Lord) ministry, and even built a sort of fundamentalist Disneyland called Heritage USA in South Carolina. Mental Floss: Why do clothes shrink in the wash?.Mental Floss: 10 More Politicians Who Changed Parties.Mental Floss: 7 food promotions gone horribly wrong.Mental Floss: World's 10 messiest food festivals.Mental Floss: 11 memorable moments from forgotten campaigns.

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