In a new interview with Politico, Giancarlo Granda, the “pool boy” evangelist Jerry Falwell Jr. accused of extorting him and his wife over her alleged affair, said that Falwell not only knew about the tryst but was in on watching the young man have sex with his wife from the very beginning of the 7 year relationship.
In a statement on Sunday, Falwell said that his wife “Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which I was not involved — it was nonetheless very upsetting to learn about.”
Later on Monday, Reuters reported: “Granda showed Reuters emails, text messages and other evidence that he says demonstrate the sexual nature of his relationship with the couple, who have been married since 1987. ‘Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,’ Granda said in an interview. Now 29, he described the liaisons as frequent – ‘multiple times per year’ – and said the encounters took place at hotels in Miami and New York, and at the Falwells’ home in Virginia. His friendship with the Falwells eventually soured, Granda told Reuters, in part because he wanted to dissolve his ties with the couple and fell into a business dispute with them.”
So while Falwell Jr. maintains that he did not know about the affair until it had already been going on for a while and was not involved, Granda told Politico that he was there, watching, from the start, and offered some details.
Granda told Politico about the time he met the couple while working at a South Beach, Miami hotel: “During my work shift at the Fontainebleau Hotel in March 2012, I was chatting with some girls my age (20 at the time). Becki said, ‘Those girls don’t know what they’re doing, you need someone with more experience.’ And then she goes, ‘But one thing.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay.’ And she’s like, ‘My husband likes to watch.’ And just then he comes out and he’s wearing a Speedo.”
“He enjoyed watching us in person and also remotely through video cameras. He also listened to our phone calls,” Granda added.
Granda also told Politico that he felt “hopeless” and felt he had two choices, “lashing out at them or ending my life.”
Granda added that Trump’s running for president was the catalyst that spurred a financial offer from Falwell Jr. to buy Granda out of his part-ownership in a youth hostel in which they had invested together.
Politico adds: “To Granda, the two events appeared to be connected: Jerry Falwell was trying to remove evidence of his family’s ties to Granda in anticipation of getting involved in politics, which could invite greater scrutiny of his activities.”
Granda added that after Trump was elected, Falwell Jr. “was drunk on power and felt like he could get away with anything.”
Falwell resigned as president of Liberty University on Monday night.
