One of two suspects who claim to be religious leaders, and are allegedly tied to a human trafficking ring, was arrested Wednesday in Durham by the FBI in a raid early Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for the agency told CBS 17 that David Taylor, 53 of Durham, is being charged in a forced labor and money laundering conspiracy investigation that agents said victimized individuals in Michigan, Florida, Texas and Missouri.
In the indictment, Taylor is described as one of the leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly Joshua Media Ministries International, along with 56-year-old Michelle Brannon of Tampa, Florida.
Exclusive surveillance video obtained by CBS 17 shows the moment just after 6 a.m. Wednesday when the FBI rolled onto the property with warrants in hand and guns drawn.
“David Taylor, this is the FBI with a warrant for this location,” authorities are heard saying in the video. “Everybody in the house needs to come to the front door with their empty hands in the air.”
Call centers and “Armor Bearers”
The indictment said the church received $50 million since 2014 through its call center operations.
“Taylor and Brannon required victims to work in the call centers long hours without pay or perform other services for Taylor,” according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. “If victims disobeyed an order or failed to reach his monetary goals, Taylor and Brannon punished the victims with public humiliation, additional work, food and shelter restrictions, psychological abuse, forced repentance, sleep deprivation, physical assaults, and threats of divine judgment in the form of sickness, accidents, and eternal damnation.”
Taylor often referred to people who worked in the call center as Armor Bearers, who did whatever Taylor asked. According to the indictment, Taylor subjected the workers to harsh punishments for underperforming.
In the indictment, Taylor would put his workers on various fasts, including a “21-day peanut butter and jelly regiment” for those who did not push in their calls.
“We will mess with the food,” it said. “You will fast from the regular food or abstain for a while normally.”
In one of the meetings, according to the indictment, Taylor was accused of inciting violence on federal agents.
“God’s gonna get you. And I am going to make sure he do, too. I am going to make sure I speed it up,” Taylor said, according to the indictment. “I’m going to be looking at you in Hell and you are going to be having your little FBI jacket on. Who gonna save you then?”
The website for the church states, “God has personally taught David E. Taylor, face to face, the mysteries of the Kingdom of God!”
Human trafficking and Multi-million dollars in luxury items
According to the indictment, Taylor and Brannon used most of the donated money to purchase luxury properties, vehicles and sporting equipment. Among the items purchased, according to the indictment, were:
- 4 Mercedes-Benzes
- 3 Bentleys
- 1 Rolls-Royce
- Bulletproof material for their vehicles
- 5 ATVs
- 4 jet skis
- Personal Crownline boat
WFLA flew a drone over one of the several properties in Florida in the FBI raid of Michelle Brannon. Some of the vehicles in question in the indictment appeared to be seen in the long driveway of the property.
According to the indictment, Taylor had his Armor Bearers “transport women from ministry houses, airports, and other locations to Taylor’s location and ensured the women transported to Taylor took Plan B emergency contraceptives.”
“Combating human trafficking is a top priority for the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We are committed to relentlessly pursuing and ending this scourge and obtaining justice for the victims.”
The arrests of David Taylor and Michelle Brannon
The IRS and the Durham Police Department assisted in the investigation. The Durham Police Department was seen on hand to help arrest Taylor in Durham. Law enforcement in Tampa helped arrest Brannon.
“Money laundering is tax evasion in progress, and in this case, the proceeds funded an alleged human trafficking ring and supported a luxury lifestyle under the guise of a religious ministry,” said Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “IRS-CI stands committed to fighting human trafficking and labor exploitation, and pursuing those who hide their profits gained from the extreme victimization of the vulnerable.”
The residents who live next door to the so-called church on South Miami Boulevard told CBS 17 they thought there was something suspicious, but they never thought FBI agents would come knocking on the door.
“I always suspected some stuff about them because they were always carrying black bags, a lot of food,” a neighbor said. “I was like why are they ordering a lot of food, taking a lot of trash?
“There were sometimes they actually dressed up nice with their stuff, jewelry shoes and stuff like that,” the neighbor continued. “I was like okay, I guess they work for something good.
“We were really scared to be honest because we never suspected something like that from [Taylor] when he said he was a pastor and all the stuff with that.”
WFLA covered the arrest of Michelle Brannon in Tampa, Florida. Brannon was described as the organization’s executive director.
“For twelve years, Brannon has loyally followed Taylor’s instructions and teachings,” the indictment said. “His teachings include encouraging self-inflicted violence and violence against others, including law enforcement, when and if his organization is confronted by law enforcement.”
If convicted, Taylor and Brannon could face between 20 to 60 years in prison.
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