David Taylor, 53, and Michelle Brannon, 56, are accused of running a forced labor and money laundering scheme through their church, Kingdom of God Global Church, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The church is headquartered in Michigan.
Attorney information for Taylor and Brannon wasn't available as of Oct. 2.
Taylor, who calls himself "Apostle," and Brannon, his "executive director," established call centers across the country, staffed by followers working long hours with no pay, tasked with collecting donations, officials said.
Officials say they "compelled their victims to work at their call centers and to work for Taylor as his ‘armor bearers.'"
"Armor bearers were Taylor's personal servants who fulfilled Taylor's demands around the clock. Taylor and Brannon controlled every aspect of the daily living of their victims," federal investigators say. They are not allowed to go anywhere without permission, and they sleep in the facilities where they work or in a "‘ministry' house," officials said.
Taylor and Brannon's scheme was expansive, according to officials, operating in Michigan, Texas, Florida and Missouri. Taylor was arrested in North Carolina, and Brannon in Florida.
Brannon was living in the Tampa mansion raided by the FBI, outlets report.
While she was living in spacious comfort, surrounded by luxurious amenities, the 57 victims at the home lived in cramped, often makeshift quarters, WTVT reported, citing court documents.
The call centers earned $50 million for Kingdom of God Global Church over the last 10 years, according to officials.
"Taylor set unobtainable … donation goals for victims working in the call centers," officials said. "If victims disobeyed an order or failed to reach his monetary goals, Taylor and Brannon punished the victims with public humiliation … psychological abuse, forced repentance, sleep deprivation, physical assaults, and threats of divine judgment in the form of sickness, accidents, and eternal damnation."
At the mansion, authorities say they found "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," as well as $500,000 in gold bars in Brannon's bedroom, WTVT reported.
But money and free labor weren't the only objectives, authorities say.
According to officials, "Taylor demanded that his Armor Bearers transport women from ministry houses, airports, and other locations to Taylor's location and ensured the women transported to Taylor took Plan B emergency contraceptives."
Taylor claimed to have had "multiple face-to-face encounters with God" and said he was "Jesus' best friend," WDIV reported, citing court records.
He often demanded sexually explicit videos and photos from women within the organization, and investigators say they found thousands of such videos, the outlet reported.
Taylor made it clear to workers that disobeying him, or in any way failing to meet his demands, was tantamount to failing God, and that they would be punished here on earth and in the afterlife, according to investigators, the outlet reported.
On Brannon's phone, investigators found an explicit video sent to Taylor by a woman who was crying, apologizing for the "delay" in finishing her "assignment," WDIV reported.
Taylor and Brannon are facing charges including forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor and conspiracy to commit money laundering, officials say. They will both face trial in a Michigan courtroom.
