Federal authorities arrested the alleged leaders of a multi-state human trafficking ring that they say lured in trafficking victims under false pretenses and had them solicit donations under the guise that they were working for a religious ministry, prosecutors said.
David Taylor, 53, and Michelle Brannon, 56, were arrested on Thursday, Aug. 27, after a federal grand jury indicted them on 10 counts, including conspiracy to commit forced labor and money laundering conspiracy, according to a Justice Department news release. Taylor was apprehended in Durham, North Carolina, and Brannon in Tampa, Florida. The case is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Taylor and Brannon implored victims to work at call centers and solicit donations for their supposed ministry, according to the indictment. Victims were also allegedly forced to work as Taylor's "personal servants," which he called his “armor bearers," the indictment said.
The call centers they set up – in Michigan, Missouri, Florida and Texas – received millions of dollars in donations each year, which Taylor and Brannon mainly used to purchase luxury properties and vehicles, according to the indictment. Since 2014, the scheme brought in around $50 million in crooked donations, the prosecutors' news release said.
The ring not only victimized callers, it also victimized individuals who donated to the centers in Michigan, Florida, Texas and Missouri, the Justice Department said.
Attorneys for Taylor and Brannon were unavailable for comment when contacted by the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Thursday, Aug. 27.
Trafficking ring ran under guise of religious ministry, indictment says
According to the indictment, Taylor and Brannon initiated their scheme in 2014, utilizing an organization known as the Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly referred to as Joshua Media Ministries International. Taylor referred to himself as the "Apostle" of the church, while Brannon was his executive director.
Taylor would solicit individuals from across the country to work in his call centers and set goals for them: either collect a certain amount of money in donations for his ministry or make a certain number of phone calls to donors, according to the indictment.
The indictment says the people making the calls, under the threat of punishment, were told by Taylor and Brannon to "falsely state that the donated funds would be spent on charitable works, such as providing water wells for impoverished communities overseas or supporting victims of human trafficking."
Taylor established the first call center in Taylor, Michigan, before operating call centers in other locations, such as Florida, Texas and Missouri, according to the release.
Victims ordered to cut ties with anyone who questioned ringleader, officials say
The indictment also says that Taylor demanded that victims cut off ties with any family members or friends who questioned him or the church. Workers were not allowed to date or to work outside the call center; employees were required to sleep at the call center, according to the indictment.
The indictment added that if Taylor's workers disobeyed instructions or failed to reach his monetary quotas, he would restrict their sleep, food or impose physical abuse.
The indictment said Taylor believed that "if an individual fails to obey his orders and commands, they are defying God and will suffer in Hell."
Taylor and Brannon were each indicted on eight counts of forced labor, one count of conspiracy to commit forced labor and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: "Church' leaders allegedly solicited $50M in donations via forced labor
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