A federal grand jury in Michigan has indicted a third defendant in an alleged forced labor conspiracy linked to the Kingdom of God Global Church — a sprawling ministry that prosecutors say used coercion, abuse and threats of divine punishment to run a multistate call center operation that brought in about $50 million in donations over more than a decade.
Kathleen Klein, 53, known in the church as “The Prophetess,” was named in a superseding indictment returned Feb. 11 in the Eastern District of Michigan, the U.S. Department of Justice announced (1). She joins co-defendants David Taylor and Michelle Brannon, who were first indicted in July 2025 and arrested the following month in a nationwide sweep coordinated by the FBI.
Klein is charged with conspiracy to commit forced labor, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Taylor, the church’s founder, and Brannon, its executive director, each face up to 20 years on each count of forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor and conspiracy to launder money. All three defendants have denied the allegations.
“This case reflects the severity of forced labor schemes that deprive victims of their basic human rights and subject them to brutal physical and mental abuse,” Deputy Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said in a statement. “Combating human trafficking is a top priority for the Department of Justice. We will relentlessly pursue those who facilitate and profit from forced labor and fight to get justice for survivors.”
The superseding indictment also added new allegations that Taylor frequently requested and received sexually explicit photos and videos from female church workers — some of whom prosecutors say were afraid to refuse.
The church, formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International, was based in Taylor, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. According to court filings, Taylor referred to himself as “the Apostle” and claimed to be Jesus Christ’s “best friend” and “second in command” (2). The Justice Department says the church operated at least nine call centers in Michigan, Missouri, Florida and Texas (3).
Prosecutors say the victims were forced to work grueling hours — sometimes exceeding 20 hours a day, according to the federal indictment — soliciting donations over the phone without pay. Workers were assigned aggressive daily, weekly and monthly fundraising goals that the DOJ described as unattainable.
According to the indictment, the workers were trained to tell donors that their money would be used to build wells in poor parts of the world and fight human trafficking—while the organization allegedly trafficked the very workers making those calls (4).
Those who fell short or pushed back faced a range of punishments: public humiliation, sleep deprivation, physical violence, withholding of food and shelter, forced penance rituals, and threats of “divine judgment in the form of sickness, accidents, death, and eternal damnation.”
Klein allegedly sent text messages to “Houston Managers” in 2024 assigning victims “hard work” and threatening to put people “out on the streets,” according to a 29-page federal indictment reviewed by FOX 13 Tampa Bay (5). Workers slept in call centers or ministry houses and were not allowed to leave without permission. Taylor’s personal servants, referred to internally as “armour-bearers”, were also allegedly subjected to exploitative conditions.
Since 2014, the organization has collected about $50 million in donations, according to prosecutors. Church leaders allegedly funneled those funds into a portfolio of luxury real estate, high-end vehicles and personal assets.
The purchased properties include an $8.3 million mansion in Tampa’s exclusive Avila neighborhood — formerly owned by Tampa Bay Buccaneers co-owner Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, according to a deed filed in Hillsborough County (6) — and a 10,000-square-foot mansion in Wildwood, Missouri, formerly owned by rapper Nelly. The church also owned several additional properties in the suburb of St. Louis in Chesterfield, along with holdings in Ocala, Florida, Houston and Michigan.
Prosecutors say the proceeds also paid for Mercedes-Benzes, Bentleys, a Rolls Royce, several bulletproof vehicles, a $105,000 boat, jet skis, ATVs, plane tickets and designer clothing.
Taylor’s lavish spending drew attention years before the federal charges. In a statement that went viral around 2015, he struggled to explain a $2.8 million residence, three luxury vehicles, and an annual clothing budget of about $30,000, which he attributed to “sweating through all his clothes” while traveling frequently (7).
MinistryWatch, a nonprofit that tracks transparency in religious organizations, gives the ministry an “F” transparency grade and a donor trust score of zero—the lowest possible rating (8).
Read more: The average net worth of Americans is a surprising $620,654. But it means almost nothing. Here’s the number that matters (and how to make it skyrocket)
While the case of the Kingdom of God Global Church is striking in its own right, it illustrates a broader vulnerability in the way the US oversees religious organizations and the billions of dollars that pass through them each year.
Unlike any other type of 501(c)(3) nonprofit, churches are exempt from filing IRS Form 990—the annual financial disclosure that requires secular charities to publicly report their income, expenses, and executive compensation (9). This means that donors, regulators and the public have virtually no window into how a church spends its money unless the organization voluntarily discloses this information.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) estimates that the average organization loses approximately 5% of its annual revenue to fraud (10). Religious communities can be particularly susceptible to what researchers call “affinity fraud,” in which bad actors exploit the trust that naturally exists within a faith community. An analysis applying ACFE’s methodology to global Christian giving estimated that approximately $62 billion a year is lost to church fraud and embezzlement—more than the total income of global foreign missions (11).
That means the KOGGC case is hardly an isolated one. In Minnesota, the Feeding Our Future scandal became one of the largest nonprofit fraud cases in US history, with the defendants accused of fabricating meal programs to steal approximately $250 million in federal aid (12). In Kansas, six former cult members were convicted in 2025 of a forced labor conspiracy targeting minors (13). And in Missouri, the director of the non-profit New Heights Community Resource Center was tasked with bringing about $10 million from federal child nutrition programs to finance a lavish lifestyle.
Congress has the authority to require churches to file financial disclosures, just as their secular counterparts do. But it has historically refused to do so, citing religious freedom concerns. Critics say it creates a blind spot that bad actors can exploit.
For donors who want to make sure their contributions are going where they’re told, experts recommend watching for red flags: a lack of published financial information, pressure to give, leaders with visibly lavish lifestyles and resistance to answering basic questions about how donations are spent.
Before you give, check independent watchdog sites like MinistryWatch, GuideStar (now Candid), CharityWatch and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. Churches that voluntarily publish annual or equivalent Form 990 financial reports generally send positive signals. The IRS Exempt Organizations Database can also verify an organization’s tax-exempt status.
Anyone who suspects human trafficking or forced labor can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, which is open 24 hours a day.
Klein faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Taylor, who was denied bond in October 2025, remains in federal custody. Brannon was released on $10,000 unsecured bail after suffering a heart attack while incarcerated; Her release conditions include surrendering her passport and having no contact with Taylor or former church members.
The church has denied all the allegations. Taylor’s attorney, Larry Margolis, told the Detroit Free Press that the allegations were without merit, arguing that Taylor and church members “at all times exercised their First Amendment rights to freely practice their religion” (14). Brannon’s attorney separately argued that she was manipulated and controlled by Taylor at a supervisory level and is not a danger to the community.
Despite the federal charges, the Kingdom of God Global Church appears to be still operating — posting Sunday service videos to its YouTube channel as recently as February. And in December, the church filed a petition asking the government to return more than $4.2 million in seized bank funds, along with precious metals, jewelry, designer clothing and other assets seized during the August raids. In the filing, the church argued that the government’s seizure far exceeds the $700,000 alleged in the money laundering charges and that the holding of the assets violates its First Amendment right to perform religious functions, including worship, community outreach and charity. The church also claims to keep records proving legal ownership of seized assets, including diaries that track individual donations. The government argued that the seizures followed proper procedures. The court has not yet issued a final ruling.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation continue to investigate the case.
Join over 250,000 readers and be the first to receive the best stories and exclusive interviews from Moneywise – clear information curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.
—
We only rely on verified sources and credible third-party reports. For details, see editorial ethics and guidelines.
US Department of Justice (1, 13); ClickOnDetroit (2); Houston Public Media (3); Magazine St. Louis (4); FOX 13 Tampa Bay (5); MinistryWatch (6, 8, 14); Christian Post (7); National Council of Nonprofit Organizations (9); Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (10); Study Center for Overseas Ministries (11); CharityWatch (12)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. Offered without warranty of any kind.
