The man who owns the Durham home that FBI agents raided Wednesday says he noticed odd behavior from his tenants, but was stunned to learn of criminal allegations.
WRAL News reported on the raid, tied to allegations of human trafficking at Kingdom of God Global Church. According to a federal indictment, church leaders forced people into unpaid work at call centers, soliciting money that was then used to buy luxury items like a boat and bulletproof cars.
Properties in other states, including Florida and Texas, were also raided. Charges were filed against David Taylor, of Durham, and Michelle Brannon, of Florida, related to forced labor and money laundering. The indictment says Taylor received roughly $50 million over the course of about 10 years.
WRAL Investigates tracked down the owner of 2523 South Miami Blvd. through tax records, and spoke to him on the phone.
Jim Wilfong said he has been renting the property to a church for about 10 or 12 years. He said David Taylor is not the name on the lease.
“Like a lot of people in the neighborhood, [I was] unaware of what was going on,” he said.
One thing that immediately stands out about the property is how fortified it is, with multiple cameras, “no trespassing” signs, covered windows, and a tall privacy fence. Wilfong says when the renters added the fence, he found it unusual.
“They raised the level of the fence higher than what normally is done,” he said. “They seamed all of the cracks between any of the uprights, which seemed odd.”
Wilfong said that in his dealings with the man on the lease, he was polite yet private. WRAL Investigates is not naming him, as he has not been charged.
Wilfong says in the 10-plus years that the man rented the home, Wilfong went inside only once, early on, and noticed a lot of video equipment.
“Anytime there were any issues that normally I would be involved with as far as maintenance, they seemed to always go with some third party or some other maintenance organization,” Wilfong said. “They seemed to keep me at an arm’s length.”
The South Miami Boulevard home displays a large banner with the name Kingdom Restoration Church for All Nations. That is a different name from the church named in the federal indictment. State records show Kingdom Restoration Church for All Nations was founded in 2005 under a different name. The founder is the same man who Wilfong said is on the lease for the South Miami Boulevard home.
WRAL Investigates has not found any connection in state documents between Kingdom Restoration Church for All Nations and David Taylor.
A knock at the door of the home went unanswered Thursday, and the man who leases the home did not return WRAL Investigates’ email or calls.
