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.
What they’re saying:
One former church employee described the environment as mentally and physically abusive, citing public humiliation and isolation from family and friends.
PREVIOUS: Church leader arrested in Tampa FBI raid appears in federal court, staying behind bars for now
“I did see David Taylor get aggressive with the staff,” said Leslie Portillo, who lived at the church’s Detroit ministry for several months.
Portillo left the church after she saw several red flags, but her friend continued to work for Taylor. She said her friend eventually passed away from cancer while still working for the church and wasn’t allowed to reconnect with her friends and family at the end of her life.
“The family members have been like have been waiting for so many years for their family member, for their loved one to come back,” Portillo said, adding she was stunned to read the details released this week in court documents. “Unfortunately, too many people were hurt in the midst of all of this. I know it’s going to be a process, but I know we are going to find out the truth,” she said.
Dig deeper:
Court documents also listed items authorities found in Bannon’s bedroom, including “estimated $500,000 in gold bars; $60,000 in cash; valuable jewelry from a locked safe in a closet; designer clothing and purses; and foreign currency.Â
Authorities also discovered “multiple recently delivered life-sized expensive stone statues and decorative pillars for landscape installation on the property grounds, seven Mercedes Benz sedans and two Bentley sedans.”
In their filings, prosecutors also included text messages allegedly sent by Brannon to church employees. In one message, she instructed harsh punishment for a member who failed to meet call quotas, writing: “Did you rebuke him for this?? He needs to be raked over the coals for this?? He can die for this!!”
What’s next:
Brannon, arrested last month in Hillsborough County, was transferred to Michigan where the trial will take place. Prosecutors argue she poses a flight risk due to access to large sums of cash and may attempt to manipulate witnesses if released. They are urging the court to keep her behind bars through the duration of the trial.
PREVIOUS: Kingdom of God Global Church continuing operations despite arrests of church leaders
Taylor and Brannon are facing a 10-count indictment on forced labor and money laundering charges out of Michigan, where the church’s headquarters is located. Brannon will face a judge for an arraignment and pretrial detention hearing in Detroit Federal Court today.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Kellie Cowan and Aaron Mesmer with information provided by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice.Â