TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Federal agents and a SWAT team conducted a raid on a home in one of Tampa’s most affluent and exclusive neighborhoods early Wednesday morning.
Residents reported that the operation began at approximately 4:30 a.m. when FBI agents and other officials descended on a residence in the Avila neighborhood. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, this was part of a broader multi-state initiative targeting human trafficking and forced labor activities.
The DOJ announced the arrests of David Taylor, 53, and Michelle Brannon, 56, on Wednesday in North Carolina and Florida, as key figures in a nationwide crackdown on their forced labor enterprise.
The DOJ said Taylor and Brannon claim to be the leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church, formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International.”
According to the DOJ, Taylor refers to himself as “apostle” and Brannon as his executive director.
Details from the Department of Justice allege that the duo coerced individuals into working in call centers with unattainable financial donation targets, effectively exploiting them.
Those employed in these call centers were dubbed “armor bearers,” but in truth, they served as Taylor’s personal assistants, obligated to fulfill his demands at any time of day.
Workers who did not meet their financial donation goals were publicly humiliated and deprived of food.
Some of the workers were ordered to take Plan-B contraception. They were not allowed to leave and had to stay in a “ministry house.”
Avila, where the raid took place, is an exclusive and wealthy gated community north of Tampa.
Federal agents could be seen going in to a large mansion in the neighborhood all day.
People who live in the neighborhood were shocked by the raid.
“We were very surprised by what unfolded this morning,” remarked Sheilah Mauldin, a nearby resident. “Animal control was present, and I mean, I’ve never seen such an extensive police presence with so many vehicles, alongside tanks and FBI agents, all converging on a single house.”
She said no one in the neighborhood had any idea what was going on in the mansion down the street.
“Buses go in there with black out windows, and we were like, why would tour busses be coming through Avila and pulling in the gate there?” Mauldin said.
