The Trial of Jim Baker

In 1988, a grand jury charged Jim Baker with defrauding the public through the sale of thousands of lifetime partnerships to Heritage USA. The government alleged that out of $158 million collected to fund the construction of Heritage USA, at least 3.7 million was pocketed for personal use. Four days into the trial, Jim Baker's attorney found his client lying in the fetal position with his head under a couch in his office sobbing and muttering to himself. On October 5th, 1989, after only 10 hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Jim Baker of 23 counts of fraud and one count of conspiracy but he still maintained his innocence. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison and