Federal authorities in the Eastern District of Michigan have charged a woman with threatening agents involved in the prosecution of David E. Taylor and two executive members of the Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC), previously known as Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI).
Kingdom of God Global Church (video screenshot) / Insert of Makeda Charles
According to the complaint, Makeda Charles was a longtime follower of Taylor’s ministry. Between January 2025 and April 2026, she sent threatening messages—by email, text, voicemail, and fax—to federal officials involved in the case against Taylor and the two executives.
In that complaint, a special agent testified that Charles repeatedly threatened an FBI agent, a federal judge, and a prosecutor. The messages included explicit threats of violence, references to firearms, and statements suggesting harm to the officials and their families.
A text message to an FBI agent, from Charles, reportedly said, “You’ll get one bullet and be shot dead,” alongside a photo of her holding a rifle. In a follow-up email, she warned the same agent to “get shot, and your body dragged and your neck stomped on.”
Other messages from Charles addressed to a federal judge and a prosecutor also contained threats. In one email, she warned of a “hit on your life from God,” adding that the recipient would be “dead and stabbed.” In another, she declared, “I am a bomb on Wall Street,” and threatened that officials and their families would “be together in hell forever.” In a voicemail, she told the judge that “more misfortune [will] come upon you,” implying further harm.
Charles contacted one special agent nearly 100 times, according to the complaint, and demanded that the agent drop the “non-existent” charges against her and stop investigating KOGGC.
Alleged threatening text from Makeda Charles / Screenshot from federal complaint
In April 2025, police arrested Charles for trespassing and resisting arrest outside KOGGC, where she claimed to be staff. Leadership said they did not know Charles and reported she had sent threatening messages to members, the documents said.
Based on these incidents, the FBI concludes there is probable cause that Charles’ actions violate a federal law on interstate communications.
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David E. Taylor and his ministries are facing several charges and claims of legal and financial controversy. MinistryWatch earlier reported on a lawsuit over an elaborate stage set that grew from roughly $680,000 to more than $2.2 million, with a vendor alleging nonpayment. The dispute later advanced to federal trial, where additional concerns surfaced, including unpaid construction bills and the loss of one ministry’s tax-exempt status.
In 2023, a production company sued KOGGC for breach of contract, alleging the ministry failed to pay more than $2 million for a custom stage set.
In August 2025, federal authorities arrested Taylor, alongside KOGGC’s executive director Michelle Brannon, for forced labor and money laundering that reportedly victimized participants in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.
Authorities allege the ministries operated call centers pressuring participants to work without pay under coercive conditions, including psychological abuse and threats of divine punishment. The indictment also claims leaders used donations to fund luxury purchases.
The case expanded in early 2026 with a third defendant (“Prophetess” Kathleen Klein) indicted in the purported conspiracy.
The church has sought the return of assets seized by federal authorities, which prosecutors argue are tied to the alleged scheme.
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