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

TAMPA, Fla. - Two church leaders have been arrested in an alleged multi-million-dollar conspiracy after multiple FBI raids across the country on Wednesday morning, including one in Hillsborough County's exclusive Avila neighborhood.

Arrests of Michelle Brannon and David Taylor

What we know:

The U.S. Department of Justice says Michelle Brannon, 56, was arrested at a mansion near Tampa, while David Taylor, 53, was arrested in North Carolina.

According to the DOJ, Taylor and Brannon are the leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI). Taylor refers to himself as "Apostle" and to Brannon as his Executive Director.

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.

Federal investigators say 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 indictment also says the suspects forced the victims to transport women to Taylor and ensure that those women took Plan B emergency contraceptives.

Dig deeper:

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.

‘Going on right in your backyard’

What they're saying:

Neighbors in Avila told FOX 13 they were stunned to see federal investigators in their community.

"It's very surprising to hear that type of thing was going on right in your backyard," said Sheilah Mauldin.

Mauldin said the mansion that was raided is among the largest she's seen in the neighborhood. According to records, it's a 10-bedroom, 10.5-bathroom, 28,000-square-foot home sitting on about six acres. It was last sold in 2022 for more than $8 million.

Mauldin said community members were surprised when Taylor purchased the home.

"Everyone was like, how could a pastor afford to live in a house like that? I mean, even some of the people who live there couldn't afford to live in that particular house in there," she said. "I hope it's not true, but if it is, you know he deserves everything he's going to get."

Federal authorities haven’t said whether human trafficking victims were rescued from the home. What appeared to be a federal command center was set up at nearby St. Joseph’s Hospital North in Lutz.

Human trafficking advocates said, if there were victims in the home, they’d likely be taken to a hospital for treatment.

"Those who have been trafficked, there's going to be tremendous trauma associated with it," said Clara Reynolds, CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, adding there's a lesson every community can learn about being vigilant. "If this can happen in one of our most affluent zip codes in Hillsborough County. It can happen in your backyard. It can happen in my backyard."

According to his YouTube page, Taylor was holding church service as recently as Sunday at his site in Taylor, Michigan.

"It all looks legal on its face, right?" Martina Vandenberg, the president of the Human Trafficking Legal Center, said. "There's nothing illegal about a call center and there's certainly nothing illegal about a church. And so, these things look totally fine at the surface level. The only way that cases like this come to light, the only way the cases like can ever be indicted is if someone escapes."

Eight victims are listed in the indictment, but human trafficking advocates say, based on the allegations, there could be many more.

"In paragraph 11, a very cryptic reference to women being required to use emergency contraceptives," Vandenberg said. "And that's an indication to me that this indictment may not be complete."

Human trafficking advocates say an indictment like this is remarkable.

"So few cases actually ever go to indictment," Vandenberg said. "And so, my hope is that the alleged trafficking victims in this case, the people who have come forward and have made these allegations, they were held in forced labor, you know, my hope is that they will get the support that they need."

FBI raids

FBI officials say law enforcement arrested Brannon early Wednesday at 706 Guisando De Avila in Hillsborough County, which is owned by the church, according to property records.

Investigators arrested Taylor on Wednesday morning in North Carolina, while SWAT and FBI agents also raided a hotel owned by the church in Houston.

What's next:

Taylor and Brannon face charges of forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each alleged crime carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Brannon appeared in federal court in Tampa on Wednesday afternoon, but an attorney for Brannon wasn't present. A judge asked where her attorney was and whether she had representation.

Brannon told the judge that she had two private attorneys, out of St. Louis and Oklahoma, who were already working with them. However, she said she hadn't heard from either of them. 

The judge said the attorneys were not able to be reached through the phone numbers provided to federal prosecutors. It's not clear if Brannon has legal representation at this point.

The judge continued Brannon's hearing to Thursday afternoon. He instructed Brannon to find an attorney in the Tampa area in the meantime.

HillsboroughCrime and Public Safety