Florida- Kingdom of God Global Church investigation, Church leader arrested in Tampa FBI raid- Aug. 27, 2025

[PatLaurel]

Church leader arrested in Tampa FBI raid appears in federal court, staying behind bars for now

Kingdom of God Global Church investigation​

The backstory:

The U.S. Department of Justice says Brannon, along with Taylor, led Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI).

A 10-count indictment alleges that Taylor and Brannon ran call centers in Florida, Texas, Missouri, and Michigan to solicit donations to the church.

The pair convinced their victims to work at the call centers and work for Taylor as personal servants – referred to as "armor bearers" – for long hours without pay, according to the indictment.

Dig deeper:

The church received about $50 million in donations through its call centers dating back to 2014, according to the DOJ.

 

[PatLaurel]

FBI raids Tampa estate owned by church accused of forced labor, money laundering


"Taylor also recruited people to work as his “armor bearers,” unpaid personal servants who provide him with food, take care of his properties and bring him women from ministry houses, airports and other places. The armor bearers were directed to ensure these women “took Plan B emergency contraceptives,” according to the indictment.

“If a call center worker or armor bearer does not fulfill Taylor’s goals or disobeys an order, that individual is punished,” the indictment states.

The methods of punishment included “humiliation, sleep deprivation, ‘forced repentance,’ additional work, food restrictions, physical assaults and threats of divine judgement in the form of sickness, accidents, death, and eternal damnation.”

 

[cenazoic]

The pair convinced their victims to work at the call centers and work for Taylor as personal servants – referred to as "armor bearers" – for long hours without pay, according to the indictment.

Scientology still mysteriously exempt, I suppose.

 

[PatLaurel]

The indictment: https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1412161/dl

And from KOG's site:

" I also want to address some of the lies these deceiving media sources and individuals have spawned. Some of these accusations include:

Accusing us of being a cult… FALSE!

Accusing us a being a labor cult… FALSE!

Accusing us of forcing people to work long hours… FALSE!

All the people who work or volunteer here want to be here. Those who were evil left disgruntled and offended.

Accusing me of misusing ministry funds… FALSE!"


It turns out, everything is true! MOO JMO

 

[knla]

Taylor's Ministry websites. I just saw an article about the forced workers and lavish lifestyles. Sounds pretty strange.

Kingdom of God Global Church

If I told you that Jesus wanted to appear to meet with you face to face would you want this amazing experience? Through David E. Taylor's best selling book, "Face to Face Appearances from Jesus", teachings, and miracle crusades around the world, millions are experiencing this opportunity of a...

facetofaceappearances.org

Joshua Media Ministries Int’l.

Apostle David E. Taylor - Joshua Media Ministries International Global (JMMI)

joshuamediaministries.org

 

[PatLaurel]

Feds reveal Michelle Brannon’s luxury lifestyle, new evidence in forced labor case

"Court documents claim that Taylor refers to himself as an Apostle and “Jesus’ best friend.” He reportedly claimed to have had multiple face-to-face encounters with God and that God had given him the keys to the Kingdom on Earth."

"Federal authorities also found a sexually explicit video allegedly in Brannon’s possession sent to Taylor by a female worker, who officials said cried and apologized for the “delay” in completing the “assignment,” referring to the sexually explicit video and she stated that she “understand(s) that (she) need(s) to do this and can’t delay.”

Court documents claimed that Taylor frequently solicited and received sexually explicit photos and videos from multiple female workers for the organization. There were thousands of sexually explicit photos and videos, officials said."

 

[PatLaurel]

One of the leaders of alleged church forced labor scheme granted bond

"Michelle Brannon was the lieutenant general of David Taylor's brutal regime, a federal prosecutor said. According to the evidence, she literally is a serial sadist, who engaged in physical and psychological torture."


"After a lengthy hearing, the judge said the church 'seems much more like a cult', but believed there were reasonable conditions of release that could be put in place for Brannon."

"The judge granted Brannon a $10,000 bond with a lengthy list of conditions if she's released."

"If released, Brannon will be required to wear GPS monitoring and cannot leave the eastern district of Michigan."