Jerry Falwell Jr. claimed in a statement Sunday that his wife Becki was guilty of an affair in 2012 with a pool boy who was formerly a friend of the family. 

Falwell, one of the most influential right-wing Christian leaders in the United States, said the couple had chosen to make the affair public as he alleged the pool boy had been blackmailing them for years about keeping the secret. 

He and his wife met him in Miami and were so impressed with him that they invested in a gay hostel that he and their son ran as managers. 

After that, they say he had an affair with Falwell Jr's wife, and that he's been blackmailing them since.  

He claimed that the 'threatening behavior' left him with 'trauma' and had greatly affected him as he tried to run Liberty University.  

Falwell's statement did not identify the former family friend but he has previously been named as Giancarlo Granda, a first-generation immigrant living in Florida. 

Granda met the Falwell couple as a 21-year-old. 

Jerry Falwell Jr. (right) on Sunday claimed that former family friend Giancarlo Granda (left), pictured together, had an affair with his wife (second from right). Granda met the Falwells while working as a pool boy

Falwell, one of the most influential right-wing Christian leaders in the United States, said the couple had chosen to make the affair public as he alleged the pool boy had been blackmailing them for years about keeping the secret. Pictured: Falwell and Granda 

They quickly befriended him, bringing him on vacation and even investing in his gay-friendly hostel, that listed him and Falwell's son Trey as co-managers, according to the .     

Yet on Sunday, Falwell claimed the relationship had turned sour as Granda threatened to reveal the family's secrets. 

It came after Liberty University, which Falwell's father founded, said Friday that they were investigating 'various rumors and claims about Falwell' as they work to make a decision on whether to reinstate him as president or to fire him. 

Falwell began a paid leave of absence earlier in August after a string of embarrassing incidents, including a picture Falwell posted to social media that showed him with his pants unzipped, drink in hand, and arm around a woman. 

The prominent Trump supporter now claims that throughout this series of incidents, he was struggling with depression as a result of the threats that Granda was making against him. 

Granda, pictured, denied the claims the Falwells have made

Granda hit back at the statement, however, telling the that 'the WHOLE truth will come out', denying all the allegations that the Falwells have brought against him. 

Falwell made his statement exclusively to the Washington Examiner, telling them that he was 'tired of it'. 

'It was like living on a roller coaster,' he said in the statement. 

'While completely dedicating ourselves to Liberty, we were also suffering in silence during our personal time together, while simultaneously trying to manage and deal with this increasingly threatening behavior, which only worsened over time. 

'We were doing our best to respectfully unravel this "fatal attraction" type situation to protect our family and the university.'

He claims that the affair began in 2012 when Falwell himself was dedicating too much time to the university after being appointed its president following the death of his father in 2007. 

He alleges that he was not spending enough time with his wife and that he acknowledged this as a role in the affair as he forgave her. 

'Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which I was not involved,' he insisted, 'it was nonetheless very upsetting to learn about.'

Falwell claims that he lost 80 pounds after learning about the affair. 

Falwell and his wife Becki, pictured, claimed that they decided to go public as Granda was threatening them but Granda has since said that the 'WHOLE truth will come out'

The Falwells met Granda, a pool boy, at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach (pictured) in 2012 and befriended him. He was soon hiking and water skiing in Virginia with the couple

Falwell reportedly gave Granda part of the money to purchase this Florida hostel in 2013

Jesus Fernandez Sr and Jesus Fernandez Jr sued, alleging that Falwell and Granda cut them out of the deal involving a hostel in Miami, Florida. The deal was settled in 2019

'Becki and I forgave each other, because while her indiscretion may have been more obvious and apparent, I realized that there were important smaller things I needed to do better too,' Falwell claimed, before adding that he is now seeking professional help. 

'I shouldn't have been afraid to admit my vulnerabilities and to reach out for assistance from the mental health professionals who could have alleviated this pain and stress,' he said.  

The 1,200-word statement continues to claim that after the affair ended, Granda began to ask for large amounts of money to keep the secret. 

'While we tried to distance ourselves from him over time, he unfortunately became increasingly angry and aggressive. Eventually, he began threatening to publicly reveal this secret relationship with Becki and to deliberately embarrass my wife, family, and Liberty University unless we agreed to pay him substantial monies,' Falwell claimed.

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