Scamvangelist Pays Back $4.4 Million Pandemic Loan

The Daily Beast reports:

A Houston megachurch, whose celebrity pastor is reportedly worth $50 million, has repaid the federal government $4.4 million in pandemic loans after going viral for the outrageous handout.

Lakewood Church, which is tax-exempt like most religious institutions, took $4.4 million in taxpayer-funded Paycheck Protection Program loans at the height of the COVID pandemic last year—all while senior pastor Joel Osteen flaunted his insane wealth. It caused “Osteen” and “Ferrari” to trend on social media as observers questioned the institution’s need for such a huge payout.

Osteen reportedly owns a $300,000 Ferrari and a $10.5 million mansion, and has been photographed traveling in style on a luxury jet. Meanwhile, he has made appearances on the Today Show, urging people to not “focus on what [they] have or don’t have.”

Read the full article.

Ferrari-driving pastor’s megachurch gives back its $4.4 million taxpayer-funded pandemic loan https://t.co/f02w7pWSKc

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 9, 2021