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Victims of church leaders abuse speak out
FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer spoke with a woman who worked at one of Taylor's Ministries and she shares her experience there.
TAMPA, Fla. - Leslie Portillo’s friend, Danielle Hendrick, first encountered David E. Taylor on a call-in worship show in 2015, seeking prayer for a medical condition. Soon after, Portillo and Hendrick were recruited to help market Taylor’s company, Joshua Media Ministries International, which eventually became the Kingdom of God Global Church.
Portillo lived at Taylor’s Michigan ministry for several months while working. She said she witnessed verbal abuse and manipulative behavior, describing how staff members were humiliated and conditioned to unquestioningly follow Taylor’s teachings.
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"He conditioned them to think a certain way, they all fell for it. We all did," Portillo said, "even myself. Anybody who donated, anybody who was involved, we all like at some point, believe we wanted to believe that it was a good place, a good person. But unfortunately, it's not."
The backstory:
Authorities allege the church ran call centers in multiple states, including a property in Tampa’s Avila neighborhood, where unpaid workers were forced to raise money and cut off from their families. Those who failed to meet goals faced punishments, including emotional and physical abuse.
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"He’s literally destroyed marriages, affected people's lives, took people's time, time that you can’t get back," Portillo said.
Her friend Hendrick stayed in the church after Portillo left and later died from cancer.
"I can't get back that time with my best friend," Portillo said. "My friend was separated, because I decided to disconnect, and she decided to stay, so for the last few months of our friendship, we did not talk."
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Portillo said most ministry workers were young, influential and deeply religious, which she believes Taylor was able to exploit to increase fundraising and expand his following. She said she grew increasingly concerned as she saw manipulation and mistreatment, eventually leaving the ministry and moving to Orlando.
Investigators said Taylor and Brannon amassed about $50 million in donations, funding a lavish lifestyle including mansions, luxury cars and boats, while staff worked long hours for free.
Court documents describe a nationwide operation in which workers were coerced into raising money under strict supervision, with threats of punishment for noncompliance. Federal authorities raided Taylor’s properties in Florida, Texas, Missouri and Michigan last month.
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What they're saying:
Portillo is not alone in speaking out. Gospel singer Vicki Yohe, who also had ties to Taylor’s ministry, called the arrests a "victory for those who had no voice."
What's next:
Taylor and Brannon face federal charges including human trafficking, forced labor and money laundering, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Their cases will be heard in Michigan, the center of the ongoing investigation.
The Source: Information for this story came from an interview with Leslie Portillo and details previously reported on FOX 13 News.