ABSTRACT
The television preachers, or televangelists as Jeffrey K. Hadden and Charles E. Swann christened them, were their own religious and economic force. The electronic religious frauds were classic examples of affinity corporate crime, complete with accessories after the fact on ministry "supervisory" boards and behind the scenes acting in the sycophant role during the televangelistic excesses. The chapter mentions the scenarios of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe being sued in federal court by its insurance carriers for negligence in allowing known clerical predators to continue in active ministry, and the archdiocese in turn countersuing the carriers. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee likewise sued fourteen insurance companies in 1994, the latter refusing to make payments in nine cases involving pastoral sexual misconduct. The insurers argued that the church hierarchs knew of the abuses but failed to take appropriate actions, saying "the misconduct was intentional and thus not covered by existing policies.
