A Michigan grand jury has charged a third defendant in a forced labor conspiracy that allegedly collected millions through church-run call centers across multiple states while subjecting victims to abuse and exploitation.
Kathleen Klein, 53, also known as “Prophetess,” faces charges for her alleged role as a leader of the Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC), formerly known as Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI).
She joins co-defendants David Taylor and Michelle Brannon in the forced labor case spanning Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.
Prosecutors say the defendants operated a network of call centers where victims were forced to work without pay under grueling conditions.
Workers allegedly faced severe consequences for missing fundraising targets, including public humiliation, sleep deprivation, physical violence, withholding of food and shelter, forced repentance rituals, and threats of eternal damnation.
Klein, along with Taylor and Brannon, is accused of controlling virtually every aspect of church members’ lives, requiring them to ask permission to leave their housing or call centers and controlling their access to transportation.
The indictment includes text messages sent by Klein allegedly discussing punishments for church members.
“We need people taken to the street,” Klein wrote in one text message sent to a group called “Houston Managers”.
In another message to a group called “Food Approvals,” Klein wrote, “Low number closers won’t need dinner. They can have PB&J, and to my knowledge, if closers aren’t up, people will be going to the street, so this menu might change significantly.”
Taylor’s attorneys have previously said these punishments refer to church “boot camps” and say all participants were consenting adults.
During the alleged decade-long conspiracy, KOGGC collected approximately $50 million in donations.
Prosecutors say church leaders used these funds for personal real estate, vehicles, travel, and luxury goods.
Klein faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor. Taylor and Brannon, who were initially indicted in July 2025, face maximum penalties of 20 years for each count of conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“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.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office Jennifer Runyan emphasized the case’s significance.
“Forced labor is a direct assault on human freedom,” Runyan said. “It strips victims of their dignity, their autonomy, and their basic right to control their own lives.”
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation Division continue to investigate the case.