DETROIT — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Michigan, Eastern), published as received.
DETROIT – A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a superseding indictment yesterday against a third defendant for her alleged role in a forced labor conspiracy that victimized individuals in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.
“This case reflects the gravity of forced labor schemes that strip victims of their basic human rights and subject them to physical and brutal psychological abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “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 obtain justice for survivors.”
“We will follow the evidence and meticulously build the case,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan “We thank our federal partners for their dogged pursuit of human traffickers.”
“Forced labor is a direct assault on human freedom,” said Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “It strips victims of their dignity, their autonomy, and their basic right to control their own lives. Anyone who conspires to exploit and enslave others for profit will be held fully accountable under the law. This case demonstrates the strength of our federal, state, and local partnerships in dismantling a multi-state forced labor operation. We will not stop until these criminal networks are shut down and justice is delivered.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is dedicated to fighting human trafficking to ensure the safety of all communities we serve,” said Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the IRS-CI Detroit Field Office. “Working together with our federal and local partners and leveraging IRS-CI’s unique investigative talents, we are able to disrupt suspected trafficking operations, keeping the vulnerable safe from becoming another victim.”
According to court documents, Kathleen Klein, also known as Prophetess, 53, was a leader and executive of Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC), formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI). According to the indictment, Klein and co-defendants David Taylor and Michelle Brannon, ran a network of call centers across multiple states that used forced labor to solicit donations for KOGGC. Victims were forced to work grueling hours at the call centers without pay and pressured to hit impossible fundraising targets. When victims fell short of leaders’ goals or dared to push back, the punishment was severe: public humiliation, sleep deprivation, physical violence, withholding of food and shelter, forced repentance rituals, and threats of eternal damnation. Klein and her co-defendants allegedly controlled virtually every aspect of their victims’ lives. During the more than decade-long conspiracy, KOGGC collected roughly $50 million in donations, which leaders used to pay for personal real estate, vehicles, travel, and luxury goods.
In addition to adding Kathleen Klein as a defendant, the superseding indictment includes additional allegations including that Taylor frequently requested and received sexually explicit photographs and videos from KOGGC workers.
Klein is charged with conspiracy to commit forced labor, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Taylor and Brannon were first indicted on July 23, 2025, for conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, Taylor and Brannon face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count.
The FBI and IRS-CI are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Lindsey Roberson and Christina Randall-James of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights & Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Resnick Cohen for the Eastern District of Michigan are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
