6. Jenkins’ Snake Oil
When Jenkins hit the evangelical circuit in the 1960s, it was on the heels of his mother’s career as an evangelist. A cunning businessperson, Jenkins sold something called “miracle water” to his followers as a healing elixir. As it turned out, big surprise, it was not only not healing, miracle water contained bacterial contaminants. He paid his fine, $200, then moved his Leroy Jenkins Ministries to Scottsdale, Arizona. There, he recorded gospel music and preached until his death in June of this year. Rumors of his fortune at that time were in the neighborhood of $4-million.