Indictments against church leaders arrested in forced labor network called 'remarkable' by experts
Self-proclaimed religious leaders had history of legal troubles
Experts call a federal indictment against two self-proclaimed religious leaders for operating an alleged forced labor network remarkable. Kylie Jones reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Experts call a federal indictment against two self-proclaimed religious leaders for operating an alleged forced labor network remarkable.
David Taylor and Michelle Brannon, the two accused ringleaders of the "Kingdom of God Global Church," were arrested last week and charged with forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor and money laundering.
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The backstory:
The U.S. Department of Justice said Brannon, along with Taylor, led Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI).
A 10-count indictment alleges that Taylor and Brannon ran call centers in Florida, Texas, Missouri and Michigan to solicit donations to the church. The pair convinced their victims to work at the call centers and work for Taylor as personal servants – referred to as "armor bearers" – for long hours without pay, according to the indictment.
One of those call centers operated out of a mansion in the Avila neighborhood in Hillsborough County. The home was one of several properties around the country that was raided by the FBI last week.
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Federal investigators said Taylor and Brannon "controlled every aspect of the daily living of their victims," who slept at the call center or in a "ministry" house and were not allowed to leave without permission.
The federal indictment alleges that victims were deprived of food, sleep and freedom. Some victims were even physically or psychologically punished if they didn’t meet Taylor’s monetary demands. The church operated multiple call centers nationwide where unpaid workers solicited donations.
The indictment also said the suspects forced the victims to transport women to Taylor and ensure that those women took Plan B emergency contraceptives.
The church received about $50 million in donations through its call centers dating back to 2014, according to the DOJ. Taylor and Brannon are accused of using much of that money to buy luxury properties, luxury vehicles and sporting equipment such as boats, jet skis and ATVs.
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The FBI also alleged that victims were forced to apply for federal assistance and food stamps by claiming they were homeless, then turn that money over to the suspects.
FBI officials said law enforcement arrested Brannon early Wednesday at 706 Guisando De Avila in Hillsborough County, which is owned by the church, according to property records. Court documents said Brannon lived at the Avila mansion, which was also being used as a church call center.
Authorities allege that followers lived and worked at the property under slave-like conditions and were punished if they failed to meet demands.
What they're saying:
"In 2023, which is the year for which we have the most data, the most recent data, there were only 12 indictments for forced labor in the entire country," Martina Vandenberg, the president of the Human Trafficking Legal Center, said. "And in 2022, there were only seven indictments for forced labor in the whole United States."
Human trafficking advocates said an indictment like this is remarkable.
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"There are very few forced labor cases indicted by the Department of Justice, very few cases that go criminal," Vandenberg said.
"It looks to me very similar to the kind of call centers that we see using forced labor in Myanmar and Cambodia and other countries in Southeast Asia," she said.
Vandenberg said there have been other recent indictments in the U.S., alleging forced labor under "cult-like" circumstances.
"That is something that we have seen across the globe, but this is really the first case that I have seen of allegations of forced labor fraud in a call center here in the United States," Vandenberg said.
Dig deeper:
In 2022, Movie Prop Rentals, a company based in South Florida, filed a lawsuit against Kingdom of God Global Church for failing to pay for a $2.2 million stage set. According to court documents, Taylor and the "church" stopped making payments.
The lawsuit included screenshots of messages from Taylor, threatening to start a lawsuit. One message he sent, said "God is going to get you, but you don't fear God like you should."
The federal indictment filed last week also revealed messages that Taylor and Brannon allegedly sent to victims in the call center. Similarly, they contained various threats and religious shame.
What's next:
On Monday, Brannon was still being held in Florida and Taylor was being held in North Carolina. The federal charges were filed out of Michigan, where the "church's" headquarters is, and their case is expected to be heard.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones.