'Prophetess' accused in $50M church call center conspiracy connected to Texas

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | FBI raids property owned by JMMI Global

In the northeast Houston-area, federal agents have raided a hotel owned by JMMI Global, a ministry led by David E. Taylor. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle has more information on the raid.

A third leader of Kingdom of God Global Church has been indicted in an alleged conspiracy to force numerous victims to work in call centers across multiple states, including Texas. 

The woman, known in the church as "Prophetess," joins two church leaders in the plot, which the DOJ says netted around $50 million in donations over more than a decade. 

Woman indicted in multi-state conspiracy

What's new:

Kathleen Klein, 53, who also goes by Prophetess, was a leader an executive in the KOGGC, previously known as Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI). Two other leaders, David Taylor and Michelle Brannon, were previously arrested after a Houston raid of a JMMI property. 

The three church leaders are accused of running a network of call centers across multiple states, including Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Missouri. Taylor was arrested last year in North Carolina, and Brannon in Florida.

Featured

article

Leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church arrested; JMMI property raided in Houston

Two leaders of Kingdom of God Global Church were arrested for their alleged roles in a forced labor and money-laundering conspiracy across multiple states, including Texas, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The JMMI Global "Campus for Harvest" was raided in Houston.

According to information released Thursday by the DOJ, Klein was indicted in the Eastern District of Michigan by a federal grand jury for her alleged involvement in mistreating the victims of the call centers. She and her codefendants are believed to have forced the alleged victims to work grueling hours without pay and pressured them to hit impossible fundraising targets. When victims fell short of leaders’ goals or dared to push back, the punishment was severe, the DOJ said: public humiliation, sleep deprivation, physical violence, withholding of food and shelter, forced repentance rituals, and threats of eternal damnation. 

The indictment, which adds Klein as a defendant, also adds new allegations against Taylor, saying he 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.

Previous KOGGC arrests

The backstory:

Taylor and Brannon were also charged with conspiracy to commit forced labor, as well as forced labor and money laundering conspiracy. They also face up to 20 years in prison.

Their arrests came after the JMMI Global "Campus for Harvest", a property owned by Kingdom of God Global Church, was raided in August 2025 in Houston.

Taylor and Brannon are accused of compelling their victims to work at the call centers and work as Taylor’s "armor bearers," his personal servants.

According to the DOJ, the victims’ lives were controlled by Taylor and Brannon; They slept in the call center facility or in a ministry house, and they were not allowed to leave without permission.

Taylor allegedly had his armor bearers transport women from ministry houses, airports, and other locations to Taylor’s location and ensure the women took Plan B emergency contraceptives.

The 23-page indictment shows disturbing text messages from Taylor, including one from March 2022 when he allegedly sent this text to a group chat saying, "Point blank…if you don’t work, you can’t eat.

Featured

article

Church leaders arrested in multi-state money laundering, forced labor investigation

Two church leaders have been arrested in an alleged multi-million-dollar conspiracy after multiple FBI raids across the country on Wednesday morning, including one in Hillsborough County's exclusive Avila neighborhood.

According to the allegations, Taylor and Brannon used much of the money to buy luxury properties, luxury vehicles and sporting equipment like a boat, jet skis and ATVs. The DOJ says Taylor has received around $50 million in donations since 2014.

In the Houston raid, several men and women were escorted out by officers, some handcuffed. According to sources, 17 individuals, nine men and eight women, were removed from the building.

What you can do:

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.