Peter Popoff facts for kids

Peter Popoff (born July 2, 1946) is an American televangelist. This means he preaches on television. He became well-known for claiming he could heal people through faith. He also said he could tell the future.

However, in 1986, a magician named James Randi showed that Popoff was using a secret earpiece. Through this earpiece, his wife would tell him private details about people in the audience. Popoff then pretended that God was giving him this information. He claimed this was how he could heal people.

After this was revealed, Popoff faced financial problems. But he made a comeback in the late 1990s. Since the mid-2000s, he has promoted "Miracle Spring Water" on TV. He calls himself a prophet. These TV ads are still shown in the United States and Canada. They feature people saying the water helped them get rich.

Early Life and Start in Ministry

Peter Popoff was born in East Berlin on July 2, 1946. His parents were George and Gerda Popoff. As a child, he moved with his family to the United States. He later went to Chaffey College and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Popoff's father was also a preacher. Peter started preaching in 1960. He was called "The Miracle Boy Evangelist" in ads. These ads claimed he was born in a bomb shelter. They also said he was rescued from a Siberian prison camp. He told people he could heal the sick and see the future.

In August 1971, Popoff married Elizabeth. They settled in Upland, California. He then started his television ministry. By the early 1980s, his shows were broadcast across the country.

How Popoff Claimed to Heal People

A main part of his sermons was his "miraculous" healing of illnesses. Popoff would tell sick people to "break free of the devil". He would tell them to throw their medicines onto the stage. Many people would do this. They threw away important pills.

Popoff also told people in wheelchairs to "rise and break free". They would stand and walk without help. The audience would cheer loudly. Later, critics found that many of these people could already walk. Popoff's helpers had put them in wheelchairs before the shows.

In 1985, Popoff asked for money to send Bibles to the Soviet Union. He said he would attach them to helium balloons. When people asked for proof, Popoff staged a fake burglary. He then cried on TV and asked for more donations. He said the money was needed to fix the damage.

The James Randi Investigation

In the 1980s, Popoff was very popular. He would correctly announce people's home addresses and illnesses. He claimed this was from God. In 1986, a group called the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry said he used electronics. Popoff denied this. He said his messages were from God. He called his critics "tools of the devil".

How Popoff Was Exposed

In 1986, the magician James Randi exposed Popoff's methods. Randi worked with an illusionist named Steve Shaw. They also had help from electronics expert Alexander Jason. Jason used a special radio scanner. He found that Popoff's wife, Elizabeth, was sending him messages.

Elizabeth and her helpers gathered information from prayer cards. These cards were filled out by audience members. She would then broadcast this information to Popoff. He wore a hidden earpiece to hear the messages. He then repeated the information to the audience. Jason made videos showing these secret messages.

In May 1986, Randi showed one of Jason's videos on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Popoff first denied everything. He said NBC hired an actress to pretend to be his wife. Eventually, Popoff admitted he used a radio device. But he said his wife only "occasionally" gave him names for "special prayers". He also claimed "almost everybody" knew about it.

After the TV show, Popoff's popularity dropped. His ministry's donations went down a lot. In September 1987, he declared bankruptcy. He owed over $1 million. His lawyer said it was due to money problems, not just the revelations. Jason's video was also shown on the Nova show in 1991.

Popoff's Comeback

In 1998, The Washington Post reported that Popoff was making a comeback. He started buying TV time on the Black Entertainment Television network. He tried to reach a new audience. Some people criticized this. They felt that preachers with a history of disappointed followers should not be on such a network.

In 2007, Inside Edition reported on Popoff's new TV ads. They showed him "healing the sick" in the same old way. Some people who felt cheated were interviewed. A couple said Popoff took "thousands of dollars" from them. Popoff refused to comment. James Randi said Popoff was good at what he did. He said Popoff would naturally go back to it.

In 2007, ABC's 20/20 also covered Popoff's return. They looked at the lives of people who felt tricked. Other news outlets shared similar stories. In 2008, a woman in Nanaimo, British Columbia, got her money back from Popoff. This happened after she spoke out about his fundraising.

Miracle Spring Water

Around the mid-2000s, Popoff began selling "Miracle Spring Water". He advertised it on late-night TV shows. These ads ran in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. He promised that the water would protect people from sickness. He also said it would bring them money. People were told to sleep with the water. Then they should drink it and pray over the empty bottle. They were asked to send the empty bottle back to Popoff, along with a donation. Many letters asking for more money would follow. Popoff also started calling himself a prophet.

In 2008, a UK TV regulator called Ofcom warned broadcasters. They said Popoff's material targeted "susceptible and vulnerable viewers". These programs offered "Miracle Manna". It supposedly brought health and money. In 2009, Popoff ran ads in UK magazines. He offered a free cross with "blessed water" and "holy sand". He claimed the water came from a spring near Chernobyl, Ukraine. He said animals and people drinking from it were safe from radiation. Those who responded got a small wooden cross. They also received many letters asking for donations.

In 2011, the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) gave Popoff a "Pigasus Award". This award is given for fraudulent practices. Popoff taught that God would help people get out of debt. He said God would give them money if they prayed and donated.

In 2015, Michael Marshall of the Good Thinking Society filmed Popoff. Popoff was promising "fabulous extreme fortune" for donations. At a meeting in London, Popoff "healed" a woman. She was supposedly in great pain. But Marshall had seen her earlier. She was handing out pens and seemed fine. After the "healing," she quietly left the room.

Financial Information and Organization

In the late 1980s, Popoff was collecting almost $4 million each year. In 2003, his ministry received over $9.6 million. In 2005, it received over $23 million. That year, he and his wife earned almost $1 million. Two of his children received over $180,000 each.

Popoff's organization was a for-profit company until 2006. Then, it merged with a small church in Farmers Branch, Texas. It became a religious organization. This meant it no longer had to report its income to the IRS. In 2007, Popoff bought a home in Bradbury, California, for $4.5 million. He drives expensive cars like a Porsche and a Mercedes-Benz.

Because of Popoff's past, his "People United For Christ" group has a low rating. The Better Business Bureau says it "Did Not Disclose" information. This means they refused to share details about their finances.

Popoff's longtime assistants, Reeford and Pamela Sherrell, also started a TV ministry. Reeford used the name Pastor Lee Sherrell. They offered a free prayer cloth to get people's addresses. Then, they sent letters asking for money.

Fred M. Frohock, an expert, called Popoff's actions "fake healing." Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation studies televangelists. He said that Popoff "knows he's a con man."