LOST LOOT FOUND IN TV PREACHER’S WALL!
Stunned plumber strikes gold in Osteen toilet
BIG-BUCKS pastor Joel Osteen’s prayers were apparently answered after
“bags and bags” of cash and checks were discovered hidden in a bathroom wall — triggering speculation the stash is linked to $600,000 reported stolen from his megachurch’s safe seven years ago.
The shocking treasure trove was found by a plumber, identified as “Justin,” who says he found the loot in a restroom wall while working on renovations at Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston on Nov. 10.
“There was a loose toilet in the wall and we removed the tile,” Justin reveals. “We went to go remove the toilet, and I moved some insulation away and about 500 envelopes fell out of the wall — and I was like, ‘Oh wow!’”
Now, cops are trying to trace who hid the cache of envelopes after Osteen’s megachurch called them in.
“Houston police confirm all the money in the restroom wall at Lakewood may be connected to a reported theft in 2014,” says a source.
At that time, the church reported $600,000 worth of donations in checks, cash and money orders were swiped from the preacher’s safe. An insurance company took the fall and repaid the church, say sources. Since the money was found, the church says it contacted the insurance company and “resolved the matter.”
Lakewood is the largest church facility in the U.S., with a membership of over 53,000. That means Sunday donations can easily be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to experts.
Osteen has been slammed for his prosperity gospel, preaching wealth is a sign of God’s favor.
The flamboyant holy roller, who’s worth an estimated $50 million, isn’t shy about zooming around in a Ferrari. He’s also been swatted for snatching $4.4 million in federal COVID aid, which was repaid after a hurricane of criticism.