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Jerry Falwell Jr & his wife met a young pool boy on vacation. Then they started ‘helping’ him.

Jerry Falwell Jr. and Giancarlo Granda
Jerry Falwell Jr. and Giancarlo Granda Photo: composite

A lawsuit has revealed a startling relationship between religious right leader Jerry Falwell Jr., his wife, and an attractive young pool boy they met on vacation.

The suit alleges that the Rebecca and Jerry Falwell met Giancarlo Granda while on vacation in Miami. The then-21-year-old Granda was a “pool attendant” at the luxury hotel where they were staying.

Shortly after meeting, the the evangelical leader “indicated that he wanted to help Granda establish a new career and build a business,” Buzzfeed News reported earlier this year. So they bought him a youth hostel.

Multiple affidavits filed with the lawsuit quote real estate agents who say “he was looking to purchase a business in order to provide a source of income to Giancarlo Granda.”

Related: Even as students return their diplomas, Jerry Falwell Jr. continues to defend Trump’s racism

The business they found was a hostel. Granda, Rebecca Falwell, and the Falwell’s son, Terry, formed a company together. Jerry Falwell Jr. loaned the company the downpayment for a $4.65 million dollar property as seed money.

The lawsuit was filed by two men who say they conceived of the idea, but were cut out of the business.

A representative for Falwell told Buzzfeed that the pool boy was “offered a share” in the business because they needed a local partner and Granda was to be the manager. The former pool boy’s LinkedIn profile shows that he is now a student at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Falwell Jr. is a well-known supporter of President Donald Trump and Falwell’s support was instrumental to gaining evangelical support for the candidate. Despite Trump’s multiple “sins,” Falwell’s endorsement rocked the media, but swayed the religious right.

Six months after the Falwells met Granda, they flew him on a private jet to Virginia to meet Donald Trump when the President visited Liberty University. The religious school was founded by Falwell’s father, televangelist Jerry Falwell, and is currently run by Falwell Jr.

Michael Cohen, who just pled guilty to multiple crimes and has implicated the President in campaign finance crimes, was instrumental in getting Falwell to endorse Trump. The two men met multiple times during Trump’s campaign. Cohen has not been implicated in any blackmail schemes involving Falwell or Granda to gain the evangelical leader’s support.

The Falwells’ representative said the two deny any wrongdoing.

After news of the lawsuit went viral on social media over the weekend, users speculated on what had spawned the curious relationship between the religious right power couple and the attractive young pool boy. Despite internet chatter, the lawsuit does not allege that the Falwells had a sexual relationship with Granda.

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