A woman entangled in a federal probe, linked to a raid on a lavish estate within the elite Avila community, was present in a Tampa courtroom today.
Federal officials identified Michelle Brannon, 56, as a prominent figure in the Kingdom of God Global Church, previously recognized as Joshua Media Ministries International.
A federal indictment said Brannon and David Taylor, 53, set up several call centers and forced workers to raise money by using intimidation.
Court documents revealed that workers were not paid and publicly humiliated if they failed to meet demanding financial fundraising goals.
The filings reveal that Brannon and Taylor denied workers adequate rest and nourishment while compelling them to amass millions to sustain the opulent lifestyles of the church’s leadership.
Pete Evans and Barry Bowen with the Trinity Foundation have been investigating fraud by televangelists for years.
They said the Kingdom of God Global Church stood out as one of the worst.
“They’re marketing religion and they’re making a joke out of their ministry and an embarrassment to God,” Evans said.
They said the church used religious intimidation on the workers.
“God is going to judge you because you didn’t meet your quota of donations,” Evans said is the wording used by church officials.
They said Taylor used outlandish claims on TV to help raise money.
“On TV, he claimed to heal thousands of people of cancer, to raise people from the dead. There’s no evidence for this,” Bowen said.
They said they began investigating this church when victims reached out to them.
“Individuals began reaching out to us, having endured extended hours and finally escaped the ministry, expressing concerns that acquaintances still within were being treated like slaves,” Evans stated.
Michelle Brannon asked a federal judge on Thursday to move her case to Michigan, where the church is based.
The judge granted the request and said she can now be moved to Michigan, in custody, to answer to charges there.
