It is known that Falwell Jr. used his position at Liberty to enrich family members, putting his two sons and wife on the payroll.
Michael Bastedo of the University of Michigan School of Education told Reuters, “It’s very worrisome to have these sorts of financial arrangements going on and they deserve intense scrutiny.”
Three questionable deals in particular are being investigated by Liberty University, including a scheme in 2001 where Falwell Jr. purchased a plot of undeveloped land from the university. He then developed a strip-mall on that land, which was sold five years later for a significant return, all while acting as a lawyer on behalf of Liberty.
In 2005, property records show Falwell Jr. joined a university nonprofit affiliate with a company he operated to sell land to a third company, which was controlled by a real estate partner of Falwell Jr.’s
In 2012, Falwell Jr. spent $2 million to build a tunnel which links Liberty’s campus to another strip mall which Falwell Jr. partially owns.
