Mother relieved after church leaders arrested in forced labor scheme, believes son was a victim

TAMPA, Fla. - Bridget Walton’s son, Patrick, was just a college student when he was swept into what federal agents now call a scheme to use religion and a massive church following to cover up a series of crimes.

He spent six years inside the Kingdom of God Global Church. Authorities said the church was operating as a front for forced labor, human trafficking and financial exploitation. Federal agents arrested the church’s leader, David E. Taylor, and Executive Director, Michelle Brannon, this week.

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Walton said Patrick came home in 2022 suffering from trauma, but not realizing he was a victim. For three more years, Patrick defended Taylor.

This week, following Taylor’s arrest and the release of a federal indictment, Patrick finally admitted what his mother had feared all along: "I didn’t know that I had been brainwashed and manipulated."

The backstory:

Bridget met Taylor in 2015 when she was invited to sing on his worship team in Anaheim, California. Her son Patrick joined her at the event — and became blown away by Taylor’s theatrical preaching and self-described healing powers.

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"The signs and the wonders and his theatrics," she said, regarding how impressed Patrick was. 

Soon after, he dropped out of college and moved to Michigan to work for Taylor’s ministry full-time. Bridget immediately voiced concern. 

"I said, ‘you sound brainwashed. Is this a cult?’" she asked him. His response: "That’s it. I’m going to cut you off."

Months later, a friend saw Patrick in St. Louis and told his mother that he and other young followers looked like they were starving. Despite his conditions, Patrick stayed in the ministry until 2022. 

READ: Church leaders arrested in multi-state money laundering, forced labor investigation

When he returned home, Bridget was shocked: "You’ve been in a ministry for six years, and you don’t have a dime to your name."

It wasn’t until this week, after Taylor’s arrest, that Patrick finally began to acknowledge the truth. 

"Everything you said about this man was true," he told his mother.

Dig deeper:

The federal indictment alleges Patrick’s experience is similar to that of dozens of other victims who were drawn into Taylor and Brannon’s nationwide operation.

Authorities said the church ran donation call centers in Florida, Texas, Missouri and Michigan, where unpaid workers were required to work long hours for free. Court documents indicate victims were punished, physically and psychologically, if they failed to meet fundraising goals, including food and sleep deprivation.

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Since 2014, investigators said Taylor’s church raised $50 million in donations, which was used to support a luxurious lifestyle for Taylor and Brannon, including mansions, luxury cars, jet skis and boats.

One of the properties raided this week was a 28,000-square-foot mansion in Tampa’s Avila neighborhood.

Bridget believes her son endured much of the abuse described in the indictment, although Patrick has only just begun opening up. 

"For him to admit that — that lets me know he’s ready to talk," she said. "All of those young people can be set free now."

What they're saying:

Bridget Walton isn’t the only one speaking out. Gospel singer Vicki Yohe, who briefly dated Taylor in 2018 after singing at his church, said she, too, was manipulated.

"These are not just allegations to me. Most are so true. I lived it," Yohe said. She later wrote a book detailing her experience and called this week’s arrests "a victory for those who had no voice."

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The Trinity Foundation, a Texas-based non-profit watchdog group, has investigated Taylor for years. Investigator Barry Bowen said the church’s followers worked "under slave-like conditions."

Trinity Foundation president Pete Evans said his team submitted a report to the IRS in 2019 recommending criminal prosecution and the revocation of the church’s tax-exempt status.

"We’re expecting that a lot more informants will come forward," Evans said, "especially now that dozens of people have been freed from church properties around the country."

What's next:

Taylor and Brannon are charged with forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, and conspiracy to commit money laundering — each offense punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Their cases will proceed in Michigan, where the investigation is centered.