The brief
Two Church Leaders, Michelle Brannon and David Taylor, are accused of Running a Decade-Long Labor and Money Laundering Across Five States.
Investigators Say at Least 57 Vicims Were Forced to Work Unpaid, Living in Crowded Conditions in A Tampa Mansion.
Brannon, arrest Last Month in Hillsborough County, appears in a Michigan Court Today as Prosecutors Argue and Should Remain in Custody.
Tampa, fl. – Say A Sprawling Investigators Tampa mansion served as the backdrop for a disturbing operation.
Acciting to Newly Releassed Court Documents, 57 People, Including Minors, Were Forced to Live and Work Under Harsh Conditions, Reportedly Endering Food and Sleep Deprivation, Threats, and Physical Abuse.
Despite Their Lavish Setting, Vicims Were Discovered to Have Been Made to Sleep on Floors, Kep 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 rearentlessly Solicitting donations that Generated About $ 50 million over the Last Decade.
What they’re Saying
One former Church Employs described the environment as mentally and physically abusives, Citting 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 Aggresses with the Staff,” Said Leslie Portillo, who lived at the church’s detroit minister for Several Months.
Portillo Left the Church after she saw several red flags, but her friend Continueed 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 ben like have ben waking for so many years for their family, for their love one to come back,” Portilo Said, Adding she was stunned to read the details released this weeks in courtes. “Unfortunately, Too Many People were hurt in the midst of all of this. I know it is 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 A Locked Safe in A Closet; Designer Clothing and Foreign Currency.
Authorities Also Discovered “Multiple Recently Delivered Life-Sized Expensive Stone Stators and Decorative Pillars for Landscape on the Proppets Grounds, Seven Mercedes Benz Sedans and Two Bentley Sedans.”
In their philings, prosecutors also Included Text Messages Allegedly Sent by Brannon to Church Employees. In one message, she instructed harsh workshut for a member who failed to meet call quotas, wring: “Did you rebuke Him for this?
What’s Next
Brannon, arrest Last Month in Hillsborough County, was transferred to Michigan where the trial will take place. Prosecutors argue she poses a flying risk due to Access to Large Sums of Cash and May Attempt to Manipulate Witnesses if releassed. They are urging the court to keep her bibs Bars Through the Duration of the Trial.
Preivious: Kingdom of God Global Church Continuing Operations Despite Arrests of Church Leaders
Taylor and Brannon Are Facing A 10-Count Indictment on Force Labor and Money Laundering Charges out of Michigan, where the church’s headquarters is located. Brannon Will Face a Judge for an Ariaignment and Preterial Detent 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 US Department of Justice.
Source link
اترك تعليقاً