(Photo: Benny and Suzanne Hinn appearing together on TV following their 2013 remarriage.)
In a divorce petition filed on July 26, 2024, in Florida, televangelist Benny Hinn’s wife Suzanne Hinn reported, “The marriage between the Wife and Husband is irretrievably broken.”
Suzanne requested spousal support and asked the court, “Require the Husband to contribute to the Wife’s attorney’s fees and costs, including forensic accountant fees, both temporarily and permanently …”
Because Florida is a no-fault divorce state, the forensic accountant would not be looking for financial fraud or other financial crimes.
The divorce petition provides a clue for what a forensic accountant would examine:
“Determine if the Husband has transferred away or disposed of assets within the two (2) year period prior to the filing of this case or during the pendency of this case and, if so, make appropriate adjustments in the equitable distribution scheme.”
The forensic accountant should start by identifying bank accounts and assets owned by the World Healing Center Church and consulting companies such as Family Altar of the Air and eMinistries Consulting, Inc., which are run by Benny’s top confederate Donald B. Price.
Bank accounts may have been opened in trade names registered to each of these legal entities.
World Healing Center Church has registered one active trade name in Texas: Benny Hinn Ministries.
Family Altar of the Air has four active trade names in Texas: Iglesia Centro de Sanidad Mundial, Fe y Familia Centro Cristiano Internacional, Grapevine Next Level Church and Next Level Dallas (which appears to have rebranded as Next Level Revival and may no longer be related to Family Altar of the Air). *
Price has collected consulting fees from Family Altar of the Air and acquires real estate through the non-profit organization.
In 2023, Family Altar of the Air purchased a home worth about $2.8 million in Frisco, Texas, even though Price already personally owns a home in Plano, Texas, and Family Altar of the Air owns an additional 14,500 square ft. home in Plano worth about $7.5 million.
Does Hinn have an ownership stake in the Frisco property? Where does Hinn stay in Texas when he visits the ministry headquarters?
Since the 1990s, and possibly since its inception, Benny Hinn Ministries has never filed a Form 990 which would disclose to donors Benny’s compensation and a breakdown of ministry expenses.
For at least 20 years, Benny has been paid consulting fees in addition to receiving a salary from World Healing Center Church/Benny Hinn Ministries.
In 2004, while dumpster diving, Trinity Foundation investigator Pete Evans obtained a document reporting that Benny was paid $30,000 a month for consulting work through Clarion Call Marketing, Inc.
In February 2005, Trinity Foundation investigators found another document in the trash disclosing Benny’s salary from World Healing Center Church to be $1,325,000. Suzanne received a salary of $165,000. Hinn’s daughter Jessica and husband Michael Koulianos were also on the organization’s payroll for a total of $155,000 bringing the family’s compensation to over $2 million, when including consulting fees.
eMinistries Consulting appears to own the intellectual property of the ministry. Bookmark Publishing, which is a trade name registered to eMinistries Consulting, is listed as the copyright holder on the bennyhinn.org website.
Other trade names registered to eMinistries Consulting include The Benny Hinn Foundation, BH Global, Vicarage Holdings, Cal-Tex Acquisition IV, Cal-Tex Acquisition V, and Dominion Land Trust.
Cal-Tex Acquisition V is the registered owner of the office building in Grapevine, Texas, serving as the headquarters of Benny Hinn Ministries. Dominion Land Trust owns the Dana Point, California, beach house where Benny resides when in California.
There are unanswered questions regarding the ownership of the California beach house. Does Price function as a dummy director for eMinistries Consulting and Dominion Land Trust? Does Price have a partial ownership stake or is it entirely owned by Benny?
(Spreadsheet: Residential assets of Benny Hinn)
In addition to the trade name Vicarage Holdings, there is a separate company named Vicarage Holdings, LLC which was formed in 2020 and may also hold ministry-related assets.
During covid, Hinn created Compassion for the Hungry in 2020 and served on the organization’s board. The non-profit corporation is no longer active. The Texas Secretary of State published a tax forfeiture notice for the organization in 2023.
The Cost of Divorce
Throughout his career, Benny has preached that a wealth transfer is coming to Christians around the world.
For example, in a December 2023 video, Benny told his viewers, “I’m going to ask you to give. Be faithful to the Lord because before the coming of the Lord, we’re going to see an amazing wealth transfer.”
This idea of a wealth transfer is based on a misunderstanding of Proverbs 13:22 which says, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”
If Benny was right that a wealth transfer is coming, it involves assets he earned being redistributed to his soon-to-be ex-wife.
Hinn has regularly preached that people reap what they sow. Now is his time for reaping.
* Correction: One paragraph was deleted which reported Family Altar of the Air “may not have a current ministry purpose.” We have since learned that Next Level Dallas appears to have rebranded as Next Level Revival. It is unknown if the church has any ties to Family Altar of the Air as no trade name has been registered for Next Level Revival.