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Two church leaders, Michelle Brannon and David Taylor, are accused of conducting a decade -long forced work and money laundering operation in five states.
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Investigators say at least 57 victims were forced to work for free, living in overcrowded conditions in the Valka Manor.
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Last month, Brannon Hillsborough appears in the Michigan court, as prosecutors say she should be detained.
Becomes, flla. – Researchers say the dilated voltage manor served as a background of worrying operations.
According to the newly released court documents, 57 people, including minors, were forced to live and work in harsh conditions, reported that they endured food and sleep deprivation, threats and physical abuse.
Despite the generous environment, the victims were found to be forced to sleep on the floor, stored in a garage or entered rooms with limited access to bathrooms.
The indictment states that Michelle Brannon and colleague David Taylor, the leader of the Global Church of God’s Kingdom, manipulated followers to 24 -hour shifts in church call centers. The employees were not paid and the pressure mercilessly asks for donations, who earned about $ 50 million over the last decade.
What they say
One former church employee described the environment as mentally and physically offensive, quoting public humiliation and insulation from family and friends.
Previous: The Church leader appears in a federal court arrested by FB Raid, so far remained behind bars
“I saw David Taylor aggressively with the staff,” said Leslie Portillo, who lived for several months in the Church Detroit Ministry.
Portillo left the church after seeing a few red flags, but her friend continued to work in Taylor. She said her friend eventually died of cancer while still working in church, and at the end of her life was not allowed to connect with friends and family.
“Family members have been waiting for so many years for their family member or loved ones to come back,” Portillo said, adding that she was stunned to read this week’s information in court documents. “Unfortunately, too many people were injured through all this. I know it will be a process, but I know we’ll find out the truth,” she said.
You deeper
The court documents also list the items in which the Bannon bedroom found the authorities, including “estimated $ 500,000 in gold bars; $ 60,000 in cash; valuable jewelry from a locked safe in the cabinet; designer clothes and wallets; and foreign currency.
The authorities also discovered “many recently presented life -sized expensive stone statues and decorative columns for landscapes on the property, seven Mercedes Benz sedans and two Bentley sedans.”
Prosecutors also included text messages in their applications, allegedly sent by Brannon Church staff. In one message, she ordered a strict punishment for a member who was unable to execute the call quotas, writing, “Did you promise him for it? He must be killed through the coals for it? He can die for it !!”
What will happen next
Brannon, seized in Hillsboro County last month, was transferred to Michigan, where the trial would take place. Prosecutors say it poses a danger to flight due to the ability to get large amounts of cash and may try to manipulate witnesses if they run. They call for the court to keep her behind bars during the trial.
The previous one: The Kingdom of God Global Church Continuing Operations, regardless of the arrests of church leaders
Taylor and Brannon face a 10-person accusation of forced labor and money laundering taxes from Michigan, where the church is headquarters. Today, in the Detroit Federal Court, Brannon will face a judge for the arrest and the pre -trial detention hearing.
The source
Information in this story was collected by Fox 13 Kellie Cowan and Aaron Mesmer with the information provided by the FBI and the US Department of Justice.