(MI)
CBS Detroit [Detroit, MI]
February 13, 2026
By Paula Wethington
A third person has been charged in connection with a scheme that federal officials say was a forced labor conspiracy involving victims in Michigan, Florida, Texas and Missouri.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said Thursday that a federal grand jury has issued a superseding indictment that levies additional allegations against David E. Taylor and Michelle Brannon; and furthermore, adds Kathleen Klein, 53, as a third defendant in the case.
Klein, whom federal prosecutors say was also known within the organization as Prophetess, is specifically charged with conspiracy to commit forced labor, which has a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The activity involves forced labor alleged to have taken place through Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International. During the scheme that lasted more than 10 years, the organization collected about $50 million, and federal authorities say the money was used to pay for personal real estate, vehicles, travel, and luxury goods.
The additional allegations in the superseding indictment also include that Taylor frequently requested and received sexually explicit photographs and videos from the workers.
“This case reflects the gravity of forced labor schemes that strip victims of their basic human rights and subject them to physical and brutal psychological abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Federal prosecutors say that the three individuals ran a network of call centers in multiple states that used forced labor to solicit donations for Kingdom of God Global Church. The victims were ordered to work long hours without pay, and pressured to solicit high fundraising amounts.
If the victims fell short of goals or pushed back on assigned tasks, prosecutors say, the punishments included sleep deprivation, physical violence, withholding of food and “threats of eternal damnation.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation unit are leading the case. The investigative work included law enforcement activity last summer in Taylor, Michigan.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking can make those reports to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the U.S. Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.