AG Schmitt sues televangelist Jim Bakker over phony COVID-19 cure
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Tuesday that he filed a lawsuit against televangelist Jim Bakker and Morningside Productions, Inc., for purporting to have a cure for COVID-19.
The suit alleges Bakker and his guest Sherill Sellman claimed on his show on Feb. 12 that the "Silver Solution" can cure the deadly virus.
The New York Attorney General and the FDA issued a cease and desist to Bakker to stop making such claims.
Schmitt said silver is not a treatment for novel coronavirus. As of Tuesday, a COVID-19 vaccine had not been made.
Bakker was convicted in 1989 of fraud for stealing millions through a purported fundraising effort and served five years in prison.
The attorney general warned Missourians about potential coronavirus scams Monday.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said one case of coronavirus has been confirmed in St. Louis County. Missouri lawmakers met Tuesday going over the state's response to COVID-19.
