Tampa church leader arrested in forced labor, money laundering case

David Taylor, 53, and Michelle Brannon, 56, were arrested Wednesday on a ten-count indictment. Brannon is connected to a Tampa residential property worth nearly $10 million.

By Anastasia Dawson
| 2:12 p.m. August 27, 2025
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Michelle Brannon, 56, was arrested Aug. 27, 2025 at 706 Guisando De Avila in Tampa, a $9.27 million mansion which is owned by the Kingdom of God Global Church, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser.

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

Two self-professed religious leaders have been arrested for their role in an alleged multimillion-dollar conspiracy following FBI raids across the country Wednesday morning, including one in Tampa’s exclusive Avila neighborhood.

David Taylor, 53, and Michelle Brannon, 56, were arrested Wednesday after a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan returned a 10-count indictment charging the pair with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit forced labor, leaving a trail of alleged victims across Michigan, Florida, Texas and Missouri.

According to FBI officials, local law enforcement arrested Brannon at 706 Guisando De Avila in Tampa, a $9.27-million property owned by the church, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. Taylor was arrested at a hotel in North Carolina, and SWAT and FBI agents also raided a hotel owned by the church in Houston.