Church leaders arrested in multi-million dollar conspiracy after FBI raids

the state of Texas. I'm Jessica Smoot. I'm Kyle Thompson. Two church leaders with ties to Tampa are facing federal charges tonight. They're at the center of what

investigators are calling a multimillion dollar conspiracy involving money laundering, forced labor and abuse. This follows multiple FBI raids this morning, including at a home in

the affluent Avalon neighborhood in Hillsborough County. This was part of a nationwide takedown. FOX 13 is the state of Florida. The investigation is underway. The state of Florida is investigating what could have been part of a nationwide takedown. FOX 13 is covering this investigation from

multiple angles are Kylie Jones is at the federal courthouse in Tampa, diving deeper into the church and its

leaders. But we begin with

Aaron Mesmer live in Avalon

with more on the raid and reaction from neighbors, Aaron. Haley and these neighbors were their home. They were surprised by what went on this morning. They were surprised by what went on this morning. Neighbors in this community, they woke up to helicopters and FBI agents raiding a home in

Avila. And once they found out

why those federal agents were there, it was even more surprising. Some of you say I

don't have 100,000, but you have 20,000. You have 50,000 here. You have 10,000. That's the home. The home was destroyed by a car. The suspect was a man named David Taylor, asking viewers to send money to his church. Federal authorities now say Taylor used donations to fund an

extravagant lifestyle that included this massive mansion

in Tampa's affluent Avila

community. FBI agents raided

the home Wednesday morning. It's very surprising to hear that type of thing was going on again right in your backyard. It's unclear what authorities the home. This view from Sky Fox shows several cars lined up with gift bows on top. Neighbors say the 10 bedroom, 10 1⁄2 bathroom, 28,000 square

foot mansion is one of the largest in Avila. Because there was like, how

could a pastor afford to live in a house like that? According to the 23 page federal

indictment, this house is one of several properties throughout the country purchased by Taylor's Kingdom of God Global Church. the victim's family. The victim's family is a member of the family of Taylor, who owns several properties throughout the country purchased by Taylor's Kingdom

of God Global Church. He's the pastor and referred to himself as an apostle, according to court documents. The indictment alleges Taylor recruited people to work at call centers,

referring to them as armor bearers. Investigators say they were his quote personal servants who fulfilled Taylor's demands around the clock and their jobs. They're not getting paid. They're not getting paid. They're not getting paid. They're not getting paid. Taylor and

executive director Michelle Brannon are accused of controlling nearly every aspect of the workers lives, cutting them off from family and forcing them to take

contraceptives. Human trafficking advocates say it's a devastating situation, and you really had every aspect of human trafficking. You had individuals who were, you know, the city of Tampa. They were forced to leave the facility because they were not paid to a facility that they couldn't

leave. They weren't being paid. They had production goals that they had to meet, and authorities say if the workers failed to reach Taylor's monetary goals, they faced

punishment, including public humiliation, food and shelter restrictions, sleep deprivations and physical and psychological abuse. Crisis center of Tampa family's CEO says these victims

will likely face a long recovery. She says. There's another lesson. Every community can learn from this. This can happen in one of our most

affluent zip codes in Hillsborough County. It can happen in your backyard. It can happen in my backyard. As for the folks who

lived with alleged human

trafficking, fraud and money

laundering happening in their they're not going to get anything. They're not going to get anything. They're not going to get anything. I mean, I understand that's not true. But

if it is. You know he deserves everything he's going to get. There was also what appeared to be a federal command center set up just north of here at ST Joseph's Hospital in Lutz,

experts say if there were any

human trafficking victims at human trafficking victims at

this property, they likely