The Brief
- Two church leaders, Michelle Brannon and David Taylor, are accused of running a decade-long forced labor and money laundering operation across five states.
- Investigators say at least 57 victims were forced to work unpaid, living in crowded conditions in a Tampa mansion.
- Brannon, arrested last month in Hillsborough County, appears in a Michigan court today as prosecutors argue she should remain in custody.
TAMPA, Fla. – Investigators say a sprawling Tampa mansion served as the backdrop for a disturbing operation.
According to newly released court documents, 57 people, including minors, were forced to live and work under harsh conditions, reportedly enduring food and sleep deprivation, threats, and physical abuse.
Despite their lavish setting, victims were discovered to have been made to sleep on floors, kept in a garage, or crammed into rooms with limited access to bathrooms.
The indictment alleges that Michelle Brannon and fellow Kingdom of God Global Church leader David Taylor manipulated followers into working 24-hour shifts in church call centers. The workers were not paid and pressured into relentlessly soliciting donations that generated about $50 million over the last decade.…