The feds busted 220 “violent offenders” this week as part of its nationwide summer crime crackdown, pushing the arrest total to more than 5,700, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Saturday.
“We’re seeing real results against violent offenders- and we’re not slowing down,” he wrote on X.
Among the arrests were “self-professed religious leaders” David Taylor and Michelle Brannon, who are accused of physically and psychologically abusing victims “to solicit tens of millions in donations,” Bongino said.
The duo is accused of forced labor and money laundering in the alleged conspiracy that targeted people across four states: Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.
The FBI has also targeted illegal drug operations, conducting 20 searches in an investigation into an alleged “D.C.-based drug trafficking organization that sold PCP and fentanyl,” he said.
“We also seized several firearms including one AR-Style rifle, a shotgun, and one Draco-style pistol,” he said of the searches in the nation’s capital, where the US Marshals Service offering $500 rewards for tips that lead to arrests. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Pinellas County jai |
David Taylor and Michelle Brannon allegedly used call center workers to solicit millions in donations
Two professed religious leaders, including one who referred to himself as an "apostle" and claimed to be Jesus' best friend, were arrested Wednesday as part of a nationwide takedown related to forced labor at call centers where workers were coerced into soliciting millions of dollars in donations, the Justice Department said.
David Taylor, 53, and Michelle Brannon, 56, were arrested in North Carolina and Florida, respectively. Both were leaders of the Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC), formerly Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI), federal prosecutors said.
Both are charged with conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kingdom of God church and an attorney representing both defendants.
"Forced labor and exploitation have no place in America," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "These indictments expose years of abuse carried out under the guise of faith, and this week the FBI will move decisively with our partners to bring justice to the victims and accountability to the perpetrators."
"Under President Trump’s leadership, the FBI will not hesitate to act against those who prey on vulnerable people for power and profit," Patel added.
Search warrants were executed in Taylor, Michigan; Chesterfield, Missouri; Ocal, Houston; Durham, North Carolina; and Tampa and Ocala, Florida.
Near Tampa, federal agents raided a 10-bedroom, 10.5-bathroom, 28,000-square-foot home allegedly associated with Taylor.
"Everyone was like, how could a pastor afford to live in a house like that?" neighbor Sheilah Mauldin told Fox Tampa. "I mean, even some of the people who live there couldn't afford to live in that particular house in there. I hope it's not true, but if it is, you know he deserves everything he's going to get."
Taylor refers to himself as "Apostle" and to Brannon as his Executive Director. He also claimed to have had multiple face-to-face encounters with God and that God had given him the keys to the "Kingdom on Earth," according to a federal indictment.
Their organization ran a call center that solicited donations for KOGGC/JMMI, authorities said. Taylor established his first call center in Taylor, Michigan, and then operated call centers across the country, including in Florida, Texas, and Missouri. --->READ MORE HERE
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