Portrait of a religious fanatic

[Harry Hope]

He started in radio sales, then went on the air with a mix of
religion, conservative political talk and civil libertarianism.
Broadcasters and religious leaders were stunned when he was arrested
July 3, 1996, for hiring a hit man to kill Waldo.

A hidden camera captured Crossley on tape, handing the hit man --
really an undercover federal agent -- a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and
asking him to put a bullet in Waldo's head.

Throughout his trial, Crossley steadfastly maintained he was entrapped
by the agent.

Crossley had hoped to avoid prison altogether, asking the judge to
place him on probation.

However, when Circuit Judge Seymour Benson ordered him to prison for
four years, the evangelist seemed resigned, saying, "It's a great
place to witness for Christ."

Where -- or whether -- he will witness for Christ now is not clear.

Before his arrest, Crossley was a firebrand, championing a variety of
conservative and Christian causes.

He led an anti-pornography group and a petition drive to prevent the
showing of The Last Temptation of Christ, a movie criticized for its
unflattering portrayal of Jesus.

He also fought to ban books and to reform the state's cash-seizure
law.

From The Orlando Sentinel, 1/15/01:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-crossley011501.story?coll=orl%2Dhome%2Dheadlines

Rene Stutzman
of the Sentinel Staff

SANFORD --

When crusading evangelist George Crossley fell from grace, he fell
hard.

First there was a dalliance with a church secretary.

That, however, escalated into a frantic conspiracy to keep the affair
secret, first with talk of a harassment campaign, then of planting a
firebomb and finally hiring a hit man.

Crossley, 59, was convicted in 1997 of arranging to hire a man to kill
George "Butch" Waldo, the jealous ex-husband who was threatening to
ruin Crossley's Christian broadcast career.

After 3 1/2 years behind bars, Crossley is set to get out of prison
Wednesday.

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Another strange tale from that wonderful world of "Family Values."

Harry

"What a hell of a heaven it will be, when they get all these
hypocrites assembled there!"

Mark Twain