Follow the Money Friday: Southern Poverty Law Center and Jay Sekulow

Barry Bowen

This week the Justice Department indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), claiming the non-profit, famous for fighting racism, was actually giving money to the heads of white supremacy organizations, who served as Field Sources for the SPLC.

How did the SPLC cover up its alleged crimes? We will show you while examining the Form 990s filed with the IRS.

According to the indictment (screenshot below), SPLC created bank accounts using the names of fictitious companies to transfer funds to Field Sources.

 

The Cover Up: Unidentified Related Organizations

The companies in this scheme were NOT reported on the SPLC 990s.

Non-profit organizations are required to identify related organizations in Schedule R of a 990.

SPLC identifies only two related organizations in its latest 990: SPLC Atlanta Office and SPLC Action Fund.

 

Religious Non-Profits Operating Unidentified Related Organizations

Trinity Foundation has investigated religious organizations that operate like the SPLC by failing to identify related organizations on 990s.

While churches, synagogues, and mosques are not required to file 990s with the IRS, other religious non-profits are required to file them.

Attorney Jay Sekulow serves as president of Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism (CASE) and the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). These two entities work together but are NOT identified as related organizations on their respective 990s.

Why would Jay Sekulow file incomplete 990s with the IRS? The most likely reason is to avoid disclosing income from the related organization.

Column E in the following screenshot shows that Jay Sekulow received no compensation from related organizations. Does Jay Sekulow volunteer his time or is he lying to donors?

Jay Sekulow is most likely paid through Constitutional Litigation & Advocacy Group (CLAG), his own law firm, doing work on behalf ACLJ, which received $9,761,861 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. Also, Sekulow’s law firm is not identified as a related organization on Schedule R.

Gary Sekulow, Jay’s brother, is a certified public accountant serving as VP of Finance for the ACLJ and Chief Finance Officer of CASE. His combined compensation from both organizations is more than $1 million, but donors would not know it was over a million dollars if they didn’t review both of the organizations’ form 990s.

(Screenshot: CASE 2024 Form 990)

(Screenshot: ACLJ 2024-2025 Form 990)

 

Potential Solution

The IRS could impose penalties on non-profits that file incomplete 990s or require the non-profits to file amended 990s to maintain their tax-exemption.

 

 

Court Requires Bank to Seize Assets from Benny Hinn Ministries After Failure to Pay Marketing Company

Barry Bowen

 

(Screenshot: Benny Hinn preaching in 2024.)

For the second time in five years, a court has ordered Benny Hinn Ministries to pay a marketing company for services rendered which the ministry had previously avoided paying. Hinn’s ministry now faces garnishment of assets.

In a case that received almost no attention, during summary judgment Judge John P. Chupp ruled against Benny Hinn’s World Healing Center Church (WHCC) in January 2026, ordering the Grapevine, Texas-based organization to pay PrintMPro, Ltd, better known by the trade name PrintMailPro, “actual damages in the amount of $144,617.52 plus $64.93 per day from November 6, 2025 through date of this Judgment.”

Judge Chupp also required WHCC, which uses the trade name Benny Hinn Ministries, to pay PrintMailPro’s legal fees.

According to the lawsuit filed in September 2025, “PrintMailPro produced a substantial amount of printed materials and provided a substantial amount of mass mail marketing services for Defendant between January and May 2025.”

Continue reading “Court Requires Bank to Seize Assets from Benny Hinn Ministries After Failure to Pay Marketing Company”

Televangelist David E. Taylor’s Church Defaults on Loan Payment, Trust Forecloses on Massive Parsonage

Barry Bowen

(Photo: The Kingdom of God Global Church’s Tampa parsonage is one of the largest parsonages in America, photo courtesy of Redfin.)

On March 11, 2026, The Glenn and Shelle Goldan 2019 Trust sued to foreclose on the Tampa parsonage of televangelist David E. Taylor’s Kingdom of God Global Church.

The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser website reports the parsonage was purchased in 2022 for $8.3 million.

According to the lawsuit, KOGGC obtained a $1.3 million loan from ReProp Investments, Inc. and failed to make a $600,000 loan payment by January 2026. Those loan documents are owned by The Glenn and Shelle Goldan 2019 Trust.

The lawsuit also reports that KOGGC owes “$1,300,000.00 in unpaid principal, plus $130,913.25 in accrued interest, $60,000 in late fees, $27,750.00 in unpaid fees, $128.94 in unpaid fees interest, and $25,358.90 in default interest from January 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026, for a total indebtedness of $1,544,151.09.”

In August 2025, the FBI raided KOGGC’s Tampa parsonage and found 57 volunteers inside the building, which also functioned as a call center for ministry fundraising. The parsonage appears to be operating in violation of zoning laws because the mansion is zoned for single family residential use instead of commercial use and instead of 50 plus people apparently living inside.

On March 24, 2026, Defense Attorney Jorin G. Rubin filed an amended reply recommending the federal government pay off the loan from funds seized during the August 2025 raids.

KOGGC also owes $134,096.90 for its 2025 Hillsborough County property tax bill.

Preacher David E. Taylor and his assistants Michelle Brannon and Kathleen Woods Klein are awaiting trial in Detroit for forced labor and money laundering.

FBI Searching Televangelist David E. Taylor’s iCloud Account for Minors

Barry Bowen

(Screenshot: Faith healer David E. Taylor patterned his ministry after Benny Hinn’s ministry.)

The United States found thousands of sexually explicit pictures and videos in televangelist David E. Taylor’s iCloud account and is searching for minors, according to a response brief filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Resnick Cohen on March 16, 2026.

Previously the government obtained a protective order to prevent the disclosure of the names of victims and witnesses such as women appearing in some of the videos. However, Taylor’s legal team has filed to have the protective order modified to allow them to share the names of witnesses.

The brief states the government’s opposition to allowing “anyone on the defense team to disclose the names of victims and witnesses.”

Cohen alleges that members of Taylor’s Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC) “have learned the identities of the victims and exchanged messages about victims.”

The brief included the following text message exchange with church prophetess Kathleen Klein as evidence:

KOGGC Member: “would suck if she [a particular victim] randomly died, huh?”

Kathleen Klein: “I had that thought earlier today”

KOGGC Member: Yeah it’d be hilarious”

Continue reading “FBI Searching Televangelist David E. Taylor’s iCloud Account for Minors”

Church and Ministry Court Cases to Watch in 2026, Part 2

Barry Bowen

The following list of ten cases currently moving through the court system proves there is a critical need for Christian media to employ court reporters or legal analysts to provide timely news reports and commentary while explaining the application of law to church and ministry litigation and criminal prosecutions.

Kevin Adell

(Screenshot: Kevin Adell being interviewed following Novi city council approval to build the Adell Center.)

Kevin Adell, President and CEO of The Word Network, one of America’s largest religious TV networks, is facing three court cases.

In October 2022, Bishop George Bloomer sued The Word Network and its CEO Kevin Adell for alleged race discrimination, race harassment, race retaliation and breach of contract. Jury trial is scheduled for October 6, 2026.

In 2023, the federal government sued Adell for allegedly defaulting on estate taxes following the death of Kevin Adell’s father Franklin Adell. A court complaint reports that Adell owed $9,775,326.65 in estate taxes and $8,178,714.47 in gift taxes.

To pay off the tax lien, the federal government is attempting to seize property in Bloomfield Hills, allegedly owned by Adell. The 8,433 square foot home is registered to Orchard Lake Property Trust. The jury trial has been postponed to February 2, 2027.

Also in 2023, Adell’s cousin Joan Adell Tringale filed a civil RICO case accusing Adell of racketeering by “using fraud, deceit, false pretenses and similar unlawful means to cheat others out of property to which they are entitled and to which Defendant is not entitled.”

In September 2025, Adell requested the Court dismiss the complaint, arguing the case is “barred by the statute of limitations.” The Court has still not rendered a decision.

Continue reading “Church and Ministry Court Cases to Watch in 2026, Part 2”

False Prophecy as a Path to Riches, Part 2: Targeting Wealthy Donors

Barry Bowen

 

(Screenshot: Benny Hinn appearing in a Trinity Broadcasting Network telethon.)

It rarely gets media attention, but for decades so-called prophets have targeted wealthy individuals with personalized prophecies for the purpose of obtaining lucrative donations.

We’ve collected several examples below.

This corrupt practice was discussed in Bible teacher Mike Winger’s recent exposé of Shawn Bolz.

Mike Winger: “I’m going to call them Bob and Sally…Bob and Sally were a couple that was very well off, and they had the beginnings of this business that was skyrocketing, like you know, crazy, crazy money. That was the direction that it was heading. That is very attractive to the prophet crowd… those guys that they love, the rich big money bags guys that they can prophesy to, sincere Christians who love Jesus and just happen to have a load of cash. All of a sudden, you get special words of knowledge for those people.”

Winger reports that Mike Bickle, Shawn Bolz and Stacy Campbell, all leaders in America’s prophetic movement, attempted to recruit Bob and Sally.

You can view the exposé here.

False Prophet William Branham’s Wealth and Jet

When evangelist William Branham died in 1965, he left behind properties, stock and a large amount of cash.

In 1989, Branham’s daughter Sarah Branham De Corado revealed in a letter, “Just recently a noted lawyer in New York looked into the matter and showed me different bank statements which are still in my possession. One shows the amount in cash of 3,113,676 plus stocks 130,645 plus other things. This money was left untouched since the departure of my father. According to the notary document it is fixed for 25 years. I am asking myself what will be done with the large sum of money accumulated by now after the 26th of October, 1990.”

Continue reading “False Prophecy as a Path to Riches, Part 2: Targeting Wealthy Donors”

Prophetess Kathleen Woods Klein, Accomplice of Televangelist David E. Taylor, Indicted

Barry Bowen

 

(Photo: Kathleen Woods Klein preaching at Kingdom of God Global Church on January 18, 2026.)

This week a grand jury indicted Prophetess Kathleen Woods Klein, a leader in televangelist David E. Taylor’s Kingdom of God Global Church (KOGGC),  charging her with Conspiracy to Commit Forced Labor. The Justice Department disclosed the indictment in press release published Thursday.

Klein is the third church leader to be indicted, following last year’s indictment of Taylor and Michelle Brannon. In addition to allegations of money laundering, the KOGGC leaders are accused of forcing church members to work without compensation in call centers operating from church parsonages.

Following the August 27, 2025, arrests of Taylor and Brannon, prophetess Klein (she rarely uses the last name Klein in church events, opting to use her maiden name Kathleen Woods), preached at KOGGC claiming that Taylor would be vindicated by God.

KOGGC is often described as a cult because of the authoritarian manner in which the organization operated. According to the indictment, “Taylor, Brannon and Klein told victims that, if they leave KOGGC, they will be met with divine judgment in the form of physical harm and eternal damnation.”

The superseding indictment includes examples of threatening text messages Taylor, Brannon and Klein sent to call center workers.

 

(Screenshot: Sample of text messages Klein sent to call center workers. Appears on page 12 of indictment.)

The indictment also  reports, “Taylor frequently requested and received sexually explicit photographs and videos from female KOGGC/JMMI victims and, in some instances, victims were fearful of disobeying Taylor and sent Taylor what he demanded.” (The predecessor organization to KOGGC was Joshua Media Ministries International known by the acronym JMMI.)

Klein appears to be discouraging Taylor’s female victims from going public with complaints. While preaching last year, Klein said, “Look at around the world and just see how many women are Me Too movement … I want to tell my story. I got to tell my story. And I’m not saying you don’t have a story to tell, but if it doesn’t line up with the love of God, if it doesn’t line up to accomplish the purposes of God, it is satanic and demonic.”

Church and Ministry Court Cases to Watch in 2026, Part 1: When Churches Allegedly Operate Like Organized Crime

Barry Bowen

Last year was a ground-breaking year for the prosecution of church crimes and criminals as prosecutors announced indictments of cult leaders for political, sexual and financial crimes.

Court testimony in 2026 will disclose deeds done in secret: Evidence of money laundering, sexual abuse and other crimes of religious leaders will be made public. Prosecutors will explain how crimes are committed and how cover ups take place.

When Churches Operate Like Organized Crime

La Luz del Mundo / Naasón Joaquín García

(Photo: Naasón García was originally arrested by the United States in 2019.)

The United States Justice Department rarely charges religious leaders and their organizations with racketeering and conspiracy, but that could be changing.

Congress passed the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in 1970 to give federal law enforcement better tools to prosecute the leaders of organized crime. The RICO Act also included provisions for American citizens to file civil RICO cases against companies, non-profits and individuals committing racketeering.

In September 2025, Naasón Joaquín García, head of the Mexico-based cult La Luz del Mundo (LLDM, Spanish for “Light of the World”), was charged with racketeering, sex trafficking conspiracy and other offenses.

Continue reading “Church and Ministry Court Cases to Watch in 2026, Part 1: When Churches Allegedly Operate Like Organized Crime”

Daystar Co-Host Doug Weiss Threatens Trinity Foundation with Cease-and-Desist; Kanakuk Ministries Threatens Podcaster Shawn Ryan with Legal Action

Barry Bowen

(Screenshot: Psychologist Doug Weiss speaks frequently on the topic of sexual intimacy and operates Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Weiss also appears regularly on the Daystar Television Network TV program MinistryNow with his wife, Joni Lamb, president of Daystar.)

Over the weekend Daystar Television Co-Host Doug Weiss called Trinity Foundation, leaving a voicemail threatening to send a cease-and-desist letter if an article wasn’t taken down that Weiss claims is false.  However, Trinity Foundation stands by its reporting.

The article Daystar Television Co-Host Doug Weiss Filed Questionable 990, Runs Association for Sex Therapists as a Personal Business was published in December 2024.

In Texas, the statute of limitations for libel is one year. Therefore, Weiss doesn’t have legal standing to sue. Also, the facts are not on the side of Weiss.

Weiss runs the non-profit Healing Time Ministries which filed postcard 990s with the IRS for 2022 and 2023, indicating the ministry generated $50,000 or less in revenue both years.

(Screenshot: IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search reports that Healing Time Ministries filed postcard 990s for 2022 and 2023.)

However, the ministry’s revenue for those two years was significantly higher.

Veteran TV news producer Jene Nelson discovered and first reported that Carl H and Edyth B Lindner Foundation gave a $400,000 grant to Healing Time Ministries in 2022 and a $150,000 grant in 2023. Therefore, Healing Time Ministries under-reported at least $450,000 in revenue. Where did this money go?

Continue reading “Daystar Co-Host Doug Weiss Threatens Trinity Foundation with Cease-and-Desist; Kanakuk Ministries Threatens Podcaster Shawn Ryan with Legal Action”

Ministry Flights to Cabo, Hawaii and Las Vegas Raise Questions: Are Preachers Using Ministry Aircraft for Vacation Flights?

Barry Bowen

Lots of questions arise from tracking church and ministry aircraft.

On January 23rd, the day before a winter storm reached Texas, televangelist James Robison’s ministry jet flew to the Mexican resort city of Cabo San Lucas. After snow and sleet fell and temperatures finally started rising, the jet returned to Texas on January 27th.

(Screenshot: Flight tracking website ADSB Exchange shows Robison’s Cessna 560XL jet (tail number N562DD) flight to Cabo San Lucas on January 23rd.)

Did James Robison, a family member or other ministry employees travel to Mexico to escape the winter weather?

Why the question matters: James Robison’s jet is owned by Zoe Aviation, a subsidiary of LIFE Outreach International. For tax purposes, personal flights taken on employer-owned aircraft are treated as taxable fringe benefits.

Twice a year the IRS publishes an updated tax rate for personal flights taken on privately owned aircraft. The tax, known as Standard Industry Fare level, includes a terminal charge and rate for miles traveled. The last update was published in the October 6, 2025, issue of the Internal Revenue Bulletin.

LIFE Outreach International claims church status to avoid filing the IRS Form 990. This financial disclosure document sometimes includes information about a ministry’s travel policies, disclosing if a tax is paid on personal flights.

Continue reading “Ministry Flights to Cabo, Hawaii and Las Vegas Raise Questions: Are Preachers Using Ministry Aircraft for Vacation Flights?”