Jerry Falwell Jr. Claims Fatal Attraction Plot After Pool Boy Details Alleged Relationship with Couple

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Jerry Falwell Jr., one of the country's most prominent evangelicals and embattled leader of one of its largest Christian schools, spoke out Sunday in an extraordinary statement to deny that he and his wife had together been sexually involved with a pool attendant they befriended in Miami.
Falwell described the claim as an extortion plot of "increasingly threatening behavior" straight out of Fatal Attraction.
That pool attendant, Giancarlo Granda, told a different story. And he said he had text messages, phone calls and photos to back him up.
By Monday evening, Falwell was at first denying and then confirming that he had resigned as president and chancellor of Liberty University, the school he has run since his dad, the pastor Jerry Falwell Sr., died in 2007. The elder Falwell founded Liberty in 1971.

The younger Falwell had been on an indefinite leave of absence from Liberty since earlier this month after he posted a photo to social media showing him with his arm around his wife's assistant and his pants undone — behavior that runs counter to the spirit of Liberty's code of conduct and undercut his evangelical standing.
And then, this week, the alleged affair broke open.
Speaking with Reuters, Granda detailed how he "developed an intimate relationship" with Falwell's wife, Becki Falwell, stretching from 2012 to 2018 — with Jerry as an audience.
"Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” Granda said.

Reuters reported that Granda provided "emails, text messages and other evidence" that he said corroborated his sexual allegations. The relationship began in March 2012, while he was working as a pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel.

He was 20 years old when he first met the Falwells, he said; public records show Jerry was then 49 and Becki was 45.
Granda, now 29, claimed to Reuters that he would meet up with the Falwells "multiple times per year" at hotels in Miami and New York as well as their home in Virginia.
Granda's interview was published on Monday, but the Falwells knew it was coming. In a statement given to The Washington Examiner on Sunday, Jerry offered a dueling account.
He denied the claim of an affair involving both him and his wife, and he said Becki, now 53, was the one who had cheated. Jerry, 58, did not name Granda but he referred to a hotel employee exactly like him.
"During a vacation over eight years ago, Becki and I met an ambitious young man who was working at our hotel and was saving up his money to go to school. ... My family members eventually made an investment in a local property, included him in the deal because he could play an active role in managing it, and became close with him and his family," Jerry said in his statement.
"Shortly thereafter," he said, "Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person."
But the couple overcame that indiscretion, Jerry said — and continued growing close to Granda and his family and friends.
Eventually, he claimed, Granda "became increasingly angry and aggressive" and "began threatening to publicly reveal this secret relationship with Becki ... unless we agreed to pay him substantial monies."
"It was like living on a roller coaster," Jerry told the Examiner.
Reached for comment by the paper, Granda denied the allegation of blackmail and said "the WHOLE truth will come out."
"The Falwell’s attempt to sandbag me, and the Examiner, with a last minute story without providing the Examiner clear evidence that this was not simply an ‘affair’ with concocted allegations of extortion reeks [of] desperation,” Granda said.
The paper wrote that "Falwell’s team provided emails and texts that it said substantiate its allegations," but those materials were not detailed further.
Representatives for Jerry Falwell Jr. and Granda did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Monday. Liberty University said Monday that the confusion over Falwell's status was because he had initially agreed to resign and then "withdrew it."
Jerry Falwell Jr.

From left: Becki and Jerry Falwell Jr.

SHANNON FINNEY/GETTY
A Tangled Web
The Falwells and Granda were not just connected personally.
As Jerry said in his statement to the Examiner, after first meeting Granda, Jerry and his wife "encouraged him to pursue an education and a career and we were impressed by his initiative in suggesting a local real estate opportunity."
BuzzFeed News and The New York Times reported that the three went into business together. In 2013, about a year into the affair as Granda describes it, the Falwell family purchased a Miami Beach youth hostel and offered Granda a share in the company, since he lived in Miami and could serve as manager, according to Buzzfeed News.
Both Granda and Becki Falwell were listed as partners along with Jerry Falwell Jr.'s son, Jerry "Trey" Falwell III, BuzzFeed reported. Falwell Jr. had provided the money for the down payment on the loan.
This chapter of the saga was made more complicated after a father and son whom Granda knew then sued both him and the Falwells, saying they were promised a stake in the Miami Beach youth hostel the Falwells purchased in exchange for a hand in helping put the business together.
That suit, obtained by BuzzFeed, alleged that "Granda was flown around by the Falwells in their private jet (or in a jet owned/leased by Liberty College). Falwell Jr. repeated various offers to Granda and indicated that he wanted to help Granda establish a new career and build a business."
As that legal fight dragged on, it "devolved into a fight over compromising photos," the Times reported — specifically: "It was understood that between Mr. Granda, the Fernandezes [the father and son] and their lawyers, one or more people were in possession of photographs that could be used as leverage against the Falwells."
Enter Michael Cohen.
The disgraced attorney and former confidant of President Donald Trump grew close with the Falwells after Trump visited Liberty in 2012, according to the Times. Last March, in a call with anti-Trump actor Tom Arnold, Cohen was recorded saying he helped the Falwells try to stop the release of "a bunch of photographs, personal photographs."
"These are photos between husband and wife," Cohen said on the call with Arnold last year, adding as a punchline "the evangelicals are kinkier than Tom Arnold."
The images were destroyed when Cohen got involved, according to Reuters. On the call with Arnold, he said, “I was going to pay him, and I was going to get the negatives and do an agreement where they turn over all the technology that has the photographs" but "the guy just either deleted them on his own or what have you.”
Cohen also mentioned a "pool boy" on that call with Arnold but was not more specific about "the guy" he was going to pay.
The alleged photos have never been independently corroborated. The Times reported "three people said they had seen at least one photo, though their descriptions varied and could not be verified."
The Falwells denied the suit against them in the hostel deal. That complaint, first filed in state court in 2015, was eventually settled in federal court last fall for an undisclosed sum paid by Jerry Falwell Jr., records show.
Giancarlo Granda

Giancarlo Granda

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‘Best Friend’ to ‘Kamikaze’
Granda claimed to Reuters in his interview Monday that the affair between him and the Falwells went on for seven years before their falling out — "in part because he wanted to dissolve his ties with the couple and fell into a business dispute with them," Reuters wrote.
Rather than seeking payment for his silence, Granda wanted to "negotiate a buyout from a business arrangement he says he had with the couple," according to Reuters.
Granda backed up some of his affair claims by providing the outlet with screenshots from a FaceTime conversation with Becki and text messages where, according to Reuters, she said, "Right now I am just missing you like crazy... Have you had this effect on all of your lady friends?"
Audio from 2018 that seems to have captured the Falwells speaking with Granda was also obtained by the outlet. In a clip from a call published by Reuters, Becki is apparently heard talking about how she had "feelings" for Granda and complained over how he had relationships with other people, while Jerry said to Granda, "You’re going to make her jealous."
The audio shows Granda saying on that call, "You don't care about me anymore." But then he is heard calling Becki his "best friend."
This summer, however, his tone was much sharper. In texts he gave to Reuters from June, he wrote to Jerry: "Since you’re okay with ruining my life, I am going to take the kamikaze route. It really is a shame because I wanted to reach a peaceful resolution and just move on with our lives but if conflict is what you want, then so be it."
According to what Granda provided, Jerry wrote back: "You should by now understand that I will not be extorted. I have always treated you fairly and been restrained in response to your threats because I did not wish to ruin your life. Going forward, stop contacting me and my family."
In his statement to the Examiner, shorty before Granda himself went public, Jerry insisted that telling this story was his last — best — option.
"Even years after the improper relationship had ended, this person continued to be aggressive with Becki and me in a variety of ways. We finally decided that we had to further withdraw completely from him, which resulted in him stepping up his threats to share more outrageous and fabricate claims about us (under the guise of that business entity)," he said.
He went on: "Over the course of the last few months this person's behavior has reached a level that we have decided the only way to stop this predatory behavior is to go public."
Jerry Falwell, Donald Trump

The Falwells with President Donald Trump (center)

JERRY FALWELL JR/INSTAGRAM
Falwell's Fate
Granda's is the most explosive but not the first story of impropriety about Jerry Falwell Jr. this year.
A since-deleted Instagram post showed him standing with his shirt partially rolled up and pants unzipped alongside a woman who was wearing a similar outfit. He later identified her as his wife's assistant, according to a post on Liberty University's website.
On Aug. 7, the Executive Committee of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees announced that Falwell would be taking an "indefinite leave of absence" from his roles.
He told a local radio station that the picture was meant as a joke during a costume party and apologized in a radio interview with WLNI, "I’ve promised my kids ... I’m going to try to be a good boy from here on out."
Nonetheless, the post was anathema to Liberty's religious values. Falwell, a lawyer and developer rather than a pastor, had built his own reputation in part of greatly expanding Liberty, according to BuzzFeed News.
In more recent years, he was one of the earliest major figures on the Christian right to embrace Trump ahead of Trump's 2016 win, and he has remained a staunch ally.
Jerry Falwell Jr.

The Instagram photo that Jerry Falwell Jr. (right) deleted

JERRY FALWELL JR./INSTAGRAM
RELATED: Liberty University President Says He'll Only Wear a Mask If It Features Governor's Alleged Blackface Photo
On Friday, prior to the affair allegation, Liberty issued another statement saying that "the decision whether or not to retain Falwell as President has not yet been made."
In its most recent statement on Monday, the school said that since his initial leave "additional matters came to light that made it clear that it would not be in the best interest of the University for him to return from leave and serve as President."
The university's acting president, Jerry Prevo, was quoted saying: “I call upon the University community and supporters to be in prayer for the University and for all its leadership, past, present and future, as we walk with the Lord through this stormy time of transition.”
In his statement to the Examiner, Falwell spoke of being rocked by his wife's affair with Granda — while maintaining he'd not been involved — and shared some of what he called his resulting pain from both that mistake and Granda's alleged threats.
Of his wife, he said, "Thankfully, our love has never been stronger. Becki and I forgave each other, because while her indiscretion may have been more obvious and apparent, I realized that there were important smaller things I needed to do better too."
Granda, too, had learned something.
"Whether it was immaturity, naïveté, instability or a combination thereof," he told Reuters, "it was this ‘mindset’ that the Falwells likely detected in deciding that I was the ideal target for their sexual escapades."
 
Jerry Falwell Jr quits Liberty University role amid sex scandal


Mr Falwell Jr came in for criticism after posting a photo of himself with his trousers unzipped on Instagram.

A business partner has also claimed to have been involved in a sexual relationship with Mr Falwell Jr, who heads Liberty University, and his wife.

The college has a strict honour code which bans sexual relations "outside of a biblically ordained marriage".

A vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump, Mr Falwell Jr took over at the college in 2007 after the death of his father, Jerry Falwell.

Jerry Falwell Jr, former president of Liberty University and President Trump
Image copyrightALEX WONGImage captionDonald Trump attended the Liberty University commencement in 2017
Mr Falwell Sr founded the university in the 1970s as well as the conservative Moral Majority movement.

Back and forth
Jerry Falwell Jr first took an indefinite leave of absence from Liberty University earlier this month after posting a photo of himself with his trousers unzipped on Instagram.

On Monday, US media reported he had resigned, citing officials from the institution. Mr Falwell Jr denied the reports, telling Politico news site they were untrue.

The university issued a statement saying Mr Falwell Jr had changed his mind: "On the first day of classes of Liberty University's fall term, Jerry Falwell Jr, agreed to resign as its President and from its Board of Directors, but following media reports about the resignation, withdrew it."

In a further U-turn, Mr Falwell Jr eventually confirmed to ABC News and the Wall Street Journal that he had resigned.

The executive committee and board of the evangelical college said it would meet on Tuesday to discuss the matter.

What are the allegations?
Mr Falwell Jr was already under scrutiny for a photograph he posted online earlier this month. He appeared in the image with his trousers unzipped and his arm around a woman.

The image provoked outrage and charges of hypocrisy from the political right and left and Liberty University asked Mr Falwell to take an "indefinite leave of absence" soon after.

Further allegations emerged. Giancarlo Granda, a business partner of Falwell Jr's, told Reuters news agency on Monday that he had a six-year sexual relationship with the evangelical leader and his wife, Becki Falwell.

"Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room," Mr Granda reportedly said in an interview.

The college's honour code states that "sexual relations outside of a biblically ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman are not permissible at Liberty University".

A lawyer for Mr Falwell Jr told Reuters before their article came out that his client "categorically denies everything you indicated you intend to publish about him".

On Sunday, Mr Falwell Jr released a statement to the Washington Examiner saying his wife had had an affair and that the man involved had threatened to "deliberately embarrass my wife, family, and Liberty University".

He also spoke of the "emotional toll" the affair had had on him.
 
Speaking with Reuters, Granda detailed how he "developed an intimate relationship" with Falwell's wife, Becki Falwell, stretching from 2012 to 2018 — with Jerry as an audience.
"Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” Granda said.
这个铁杆川粉真是和川普一个路数。
 
这个好像是evangelical的神父,性趣诡异啊!
 
老婆出轨 90后,老公偷看 川普功臣私下玩很大?


综合外媒报道,特朗普阵营的基本盘是美国福音派教徒,为了实现其保守派主张,他们不顾特朗普本身言行与基督徒道德背道而驰的事实,仍坚持在系列丑闻爆发后继续支持特朗普。然而,一桩最新丑闻直指这个教派本身,为局外人揭开了该派别的一重道德面纱。

8月24日多家媒体报道显示,该教派核心领导人物,也是特朗普2016年上台的“功臣”之一小杰里-法尔韦尔及其妻贝基-法尔韦尔,“妇女支持特朗普”组织的顾问委员会委员,双双卷入一桩性丑闻。这对夫妇被揭露从2012年开始包养一名男子,贝基与其发生婚外关系,而丈夫小杰里-法尔威尔则在旁偷窥。

特朗普和支持他的“功臣”小杰里-法尔韦尔(右)出面揭露此事的正是事件的当事人,被包养的吉安卡洛·格兰达。

2012年,刚刚20岁的他在迈阿密枫丹白露酒店(Fontainebleau Miami Beach)担任泳池服务员,被这对夫妇看上,从此密切往来一直到2018年。据称,法尔韦尔夫妇在2013年买下了迈阿密海滩的一家青年旅舍,由格兰达担任经理。

BuzzFeed新闻报道,法尔韦尔家族的一名代表说,格兰达还从法尔韦尔夫妇那里得到了“Alton Hostel LLC的股份”。自1987年结婚以来,法尔维尔夫妇已经维持了超过30年的婚姻关系。根据格兰达的爆料,法尔维尔夫妇和他保持着“频繁的联系”,一年好几次。


根据他的描述,“贝基和我发展了一种亲密关系,杰里喜欢在房间的角落里观看”。这些接触分别发生在迈阿密和纽约的酒店里,以及弗吉尼亚州法尔韦尔夫妇的家中。为了证实自己的话,格兰达向路透社展示了2019年他与法尔韦尔夫妇的视频通话截图。格兰达说,在那次通话中,贝基一丝不挂,两人讨论着他们的关系,而杰里则从门后偷看。路透社对此进行了核实。格兰达告诉路透社,他与法尔韦尔夫妇的友谊最终变质,部分原因是他想脱离与这对夫妇的关系,并与他们陷入了商业纠纷。

法尔韦尔夫妇(右)和彭斯夫妇(左)出席宗教活动贝基-法尔韦尔没有回复路透社的电子邮件或电话和短信。上周初路透社向法尔韦尔夫妇求证之后,杰里-法尔韦尔的律师迈克尔-博威说,这位福音派领袖“坚决否认该社发表的关于他的一切内容”。

然而在上周日晚上,当路透社准备发表这篇文章时,杰里-法尔韦尔向《华盛顿观察家报》发表了一份声明,他在声明中说,他的妻子与格兰达有外遇,格兰达一直试图就此事向这对夫妇勒索钱财。对于勒索指控,格兰达予以了否认,他说自己是在寻求了断。

因为丑闻,现年58岁的法尔韦尔本月早些时候向自由大学申请无限期休假,该大学位于弗吉尼亚州的林奇堡,由法尔韦尔的父亲杰里-法尔韦尔牧师于1971年创办,他本人于2007年接任。

该校董事会在一份简短的声明中宣布了这一休假。在放假申请公布前几天,法尔韦尔在网络平台上发布了一张自己的照片,随后删除了这张照片,照片中他解开了裤子的拉链,站在一名年轻女子身边,而这名女子的裤子也被部分解开了。

法尔韦尔后来告诉当地一家电台,这张照片是为了开个善意的玩笑。


法尔韦尔删掉的社交媒体帖子据称,自由大学拥有超过10万名学生,包括在校和上网课的学生,以严格的荣誉准则要求著称。该校守则中写道,“自由大学不允许自然出生的男人和自然出生的女人在圣经规定的婚姻之外发生性关系”。

在2016年的美国大选中,小杰里-法尔韦尔对于特朗普的上台功劳甚巨,他为特朗普背书,帮助这位两次离婚的纽约人赢得了共和党的总统提名。而现年53岁的贝基-法尔韦尔本身就是一位政治人物。除了曾在“妇女支持特朗普”组织的顾问委员会任职,她还与丈夫和特朗普长子小唐纳德-特朗普在去年的保守派政治行动会议上作为小组成员发言,该会议是保守派的标志性年度聚会。

当时她被丈夫和其他保守派称为“自由大学的第一夫人”。

贝基-法尔韦尔(右)做客特朗普竞选节目去年,贝基-法尔韦尔在做客特朗普竞选节目《真实新闻透视》时谈到了特朗普夫妇、家庭价值观和堕胎问题。

 
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