DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — One of two suspects who claim to be religious leaders, and are allegedly tied to a human-trafficking ring, was arrested Wednesday morning in Durham in an FBI raid..
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.
The indictment says Taylor was one of the leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly Joshua Media Ministries International, with Michelle Brannon, 56, of Tampa, Florida. The indictment said the church has received $50 million since 2014 through its call center.
“Taylor and Brannon required victims to work in the call centers long hours without pay or perform other services for Taylor,” according to a news release from the U.S. Justice Department. “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.”…