The 40 Richest And Most Controversial Spiritual Gurus Throughout The World

36. Sai Baba Earnings Go Up To $9 Billion

Indian guru and philanthropist Sathya Narayana Raju claimed to be the reincarnation of master Sai Baba of Shirdi. Seen by his followers in over 170 countries as omnipotent and omniscient, Baba reached both fame and controversy through his materialisations of vibhuti (holy ash) and other small objects such as rings and necklaces, miraculous healings, resurrections, clairvoyance, and bilocation, which for his devotees were considered signs of the teacher’s divinity while for sceptics were simple conjuring tricks. Sai Baba founded several schools, colleges, hospitals, ashrams, spiritual centers and other charitable institutions in India and throughout the world, amassing a fortune of over $9 billion. In 1995 UK’s channel 4 TV documentary Guru Busters accused Baba of faking his materializations and on multiple occasions, he faced charges for sexual abuse, fraud, sleight of hand, money laundering, and murder, all of which he dismissed as false. In 2002 the Parliament of the United Kingdom discussed the danger to male children of British families intending to visit the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba.

37. PAUL & JAN CROUCH Earnings Go Up To $100 Million

Janice Wendell “Jan” Crouch and Paul Franklin Crouch were a married American televangelist couple who paired up with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker to establish the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in 1973. Purchasing a year later its first television station out of Southern California which eventually became the largest Christian television network in the US. New York Times has reported on the personal spending of Paul and Jan Crouch and they were accused by their granddaughter, a former employee and chief finance director of the network (a registered charity), of misappropriating network funds to spend carrying an excessive lifestyle, claiming that TBN appeared to have violated the IRS ban on “excess compensation” by nonprofit organizations. Among other assets, their costly expenditures included luxury homes, private jets, massive custom wigs, and a $100 thousand air conditioned mobile home solely for Jan’s dogs. Paul Crouch has also been accused of plagiarism and sued for $40 million by author Sylvia Fleener.

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