Freedom 250 MAGA Pastor Sued For Allegedly Withholding $3.3 Million Meant For Holocaust Survivors

As patriotic tributes echoed across the National Mall during the launch of America's Freedom 250 celebrations, one of the event's most prominent religious figures was already embroiled in a bitter legal battle involving millions of dollars allegedly raised for Holocaust survivors.

Pastor Jentezen Franklin, who delivered the invocation and led prayer at the opening ceremony of the Great American State Fair and Freedom 250 kickoff in Washington, D.C., is currently facing a lawsuit alleging that more than $3.3 million (£2.4 million) intended for humanitarian projects in Israel was never delivered. Franklin has strongly denied the allegations and insists the legal claims are entirely without merit.

How Jentezen Franklin Became Entangled In The Lawsuit

The lawsuit was filed by prominent evangelical activist Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem and a long-time ally of both American evangelical leaders and Israeli political figures.

According to court filings in Georgia, Evans alleges that he and Franklin collaborated between December 2017 and August 2019 on a series of fundraising initiatives designed to support Holocaust survivors living in Israel.

The projects reportedly included plans for a community centre and a food kitchen in Jerusalem aimed at assisting elderly Holocaust survivors.

Evans claims that Franklin recruited thousands of donors as part of the fundraising campaign and that those donors were promised recognition on a special donor wall to be installed at the completed facility.

According to the lawsuit, Franklin's associates provided Evans with donor records in August 2019 showing contributions that allegedly totalled more than $4.5 million (£3.3 million).

However, Evans claims that only around $1.2 million (£880,000) was ultimately transferred towards the projects.

The difference between those figures forms the basis of Evans' legal claim seeking more than $3.3 million (£2.4 million) in damages.

What The Court Documents Allege Happened

The lawsuit outlines what Evans' legal team describes as an agreement between the two evangelical leaders regarding fundraising efforts for Holocaust survivors.

According to the complaint, Franklin's office supplied spreadsheets listing 4,215 donors who allegedly contributed at least $1,000 (£735) and another 32 donors who reportedly contributed at least $10,000 (£7,350).

Combined, Evans' attorneys argue, those records represented a minimum of $4,535,000 (£3.33 million) in pledged donations.

The lawsuit states that a donor recognition wall was subsequently constructed as originally planned.

However, Evans claims that despite the fundraising figures provided by Franklin's team, only $1.2 million (£882,000) ever reached the charitable projects.

Evans further alleges that Franklin continued using both Evans' name and the projects themselves in fundraising campaigns after the dispute emerged, while directing donations elsewhere.

Another allegation claims that Franklin represented publicly that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had personally requested support for the projects, a claim Evans disputes.

Franklin Strongly Denies All Allegations

In statements responding to the legal action, Franklin's representatives argued that no formal legal agreement ever existed between Franklin and Evans or their respective organisations.

'Pastor Jentezen Franklin dedicates his life to charity, justice, and doing good,' his office said.

The statement emphasised Franklin's longstanding support for Holocaust survivors, victims of terrorism and vulnerable populations both in Israel and elsewhere.

Franklin's representatives also noted his support for multiple Israeli charities and humanitarian organisations, including projects providing housing, food, medical equipment and ongoing care for Holocaust survivors.

'No legal agreement exists between Pastor Franklin and Mr. Evans or his organisations, nor has one ever existed,' the statement continued. 'Therefore, there is no basis whatsoever to the legal claim in question.'

Franklin's office additionally accused Evans of conducting a 'malicious smear campaign' designed to gain leverage in what it described as a meritless lawsuit.

Men's Political Influence

Franklin is widely regarded as a leading evangelical figure with close ties to President Donald Trump and has been associated with the president's circle of evangelical advisers.

Meanwhile, Evans has spent decades cultivating relationships with senior Israeli and American political leaders through his pro-Israel advocacy work.

Both men have maintained relationships with Israeli leaders including Netanyahu, while Franklin has also previously worked closely with the late Israeli President Shimon Peres.

For now, however, the controversy surrounding the pastor who helped open America's Freedom 250 celebrations has shifted attention away from patriotic ceremonies and onto allegations involving millions of dollars intended to support some of history's last remaining Holocaust survivors.