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. 

The Kingdom of God ministry in Houston.  (KRIV)

A September 2021 text message from Taylor to one victim allegedly read: “How is it in 5 hours you’;; have only raised $6k?… this is a marathon!! You’ll are not taking this seriously enough!!”

“THIS HAS TO STOP!! Nobody gets lunch or dinner!!” he added. Over the next 5 hours if they don’t make up for this they are not going to bed until 4am.”

Many of the laborers moved into the Taylor, Michigan, building or were housed in separate residential locations and bused to the call center to work every day.

Meanwhile, the ministry allegedly received millions in donations each year through its call centers. Taylor and Brannon allegedly used much of the money to purchase luxury properties, vehicles, and sporting equipment such as a boat, jet skis, and ATVs.

Many of the vehicles purchased included several Mercedes-Benz cars and three Bentleys, according to court documents.

Since 2014, Taylor has received around $50 million in donations, authorities said.

“Money laundering is tax evasion in progress, and in this case, the proceeds funded an alleged human trafficking ring and supported a luxury lifestyle under the guise of a religious ministry,” said Karen Wingerd, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office.

Some church pastors have used a series of tax loopholes and lax federal government oversight to enrich themselves for years, said Nathan Apffel, director of “The Religion Business,” a multi-part documentary slated to be released on Amazon in September. 

“Shrewd pastors or shrewd businessmen and women have taken leadership positions and will kind of often use the benefits that the government has given churches and use those for ill intent to benefit themselves and David Taylor is a perfect example of that,” he told Fox News Digital. 

Apffel noted that the way Taylor allegedly spent money was a pattern he saw in scale. 

“The same rulebook that David Taylor played by, every single religious institution in the U.S. plays by those same rules,” he said. “That means anybody can do whatever they want and it falls back to the moral compass of leadership.”

“One thing we always say is ‘human will human,” he added. “When there’s an opportunity to cheat the system or benefit yourself without accountability, it usually will end up happening.”

Taylor also had sexual relationships with many of the women in the organization, prosecutors allege. Many flew out to engage in sexual relations with him, authorities said. He also insisted on discretion and encouraged the women not to befriend one another.

The interior of the church with seats and an alter.  (iStock)

Taylor started JMMI in Michigan in the mid-2000s. Eventually, he stopped the services and turned JMMI into a call center where laborers made “cold calls” to individuals to obtain monetary donations for him and the ministry.

In addition, he demanded the laborers give up their lives to serve JMMI full-time.

In 2019, the nonprofit tax-exempt status for JMMI was revoked. However, Taylor maintained the organization and changed the name to the Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC). He then reapplied for a new tax-exempt status, which he was awarded.

Taylor and Brannon face up to 60 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

Brannon appeared in a Tampa federal courtroom on Wednesday, Fox Tampa reported. She told a judge that she had two private attorneys, out of St. Louis and Oklahoma, who were already working with them. However, she said she hadn’t heard from either of them.