Episode
Did Word of Faith Really Seize Passports from Brazilians Who Came to Serve God?
- Published
- May 21, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 935
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://audioboom.com/posts/8905400
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Summary
The Word of Faith Fellowship did not just operate in Spindale, North Carolina. According to the Associated Press, it maintained affiliated churches in Brazil, Ghana, Scotland, Sweden, and other countries. Brazil was reportedly the biggest source of foreign labor. The AP’s investigation found that the church allegedly used its Brazilian congregations to recruit young people with promises of religious or educational opportunities in America. They arrived on tourist and student visas. Many spoke little English. And according to sixteen Brazilian former members who spoke to the AP, their passports were seized upon arrival and they were put to work without compensation. Andre Oliveira told the AP he worked approximately fifteen hours a day cleaning warehouses and laboring at businesses owned by ministers. Jay Plummer, an American who supervised projects for a church leader’s business, confirmed that American workers alongside the Brazilians were paid while the Brazilians allegedly were not. Several hundred young people reportedly traveled this pipeline over approximately two decades. In 2014, former members brought these allegations directly to a federal prosecutor. A recording of the meeting captured her asking whether the Brazilians were beaten. She promised to look into it. The former members said she never responded. Tony Brueski continues a five-part investigation with the operation former members have called trafficking and slave labor. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebo…