Why Did “Word of Faith” Members Give Over $85,000 to Politicians?

Jane Whaley’s 2004 assault conviction was the only time the legal system came close to holding her personally accountable. Five years of appeals later, it was overturned. And according to former members, the church learned it could outlast the courts. The pattern repeated across decades. More than forty former members testified to investigators in the 1990s — no charges. Inside Edition aired an investigation in 1995 — the church survived and allegedly used the coverage to deepen members’ distrust of the outside world. Social services opened child abuse investigations — the church sued the department and won. According to the AP, church leaders waged a cover-up strategy in which members were strong-armed into lying to investigators and recanting statements. According to WRAL, leaders and followers gave at least eighty-five thousand dollars to state politicians. The New York Times reported members volunteered at Trump campaign events. In Rutherford County, complaints emerged that the Republican Party had been taken over by people associated with the fellowship. Matthew Fenner’s case — stemming from an alleged 2013 beating — was delayed over eight years after a mistrial. By 2026, the cases had been transferred to a special prosecutor. The only criminal convictions secured against the church involved unemployment fraud totaling more than $250,000. Tony Brueski closes a five-part investigation with the institutional failures that former members say protected the Word of Faith Fellowship for over four decades.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#WordOfFaith #JaneWhaley #SystemFailed #Cult #TrueCrime #Spindale #PoliticalInfluence #HiddenKillers #MatthewFenner #ReligiousAbuse