Why Were Americans at Word of Faith Paid While Brazilians Doing the Same Work Were Not?

When Andre Oliveira left his Word of Faith Fellowship congregation in Brazil for the mother church in North Carolina, he expected a spiritual experience. According to his account to the Associated Press, what he found instead was forced labor. His passport was confiscated. He was allegedly made to work fifteen hours a day, usually without pay, cleaning warehouses and working at businesses owned by church ministers. Oliveira was one of sixteen Brazilian former members who told the AP they were exploited. The church maintained two affiliated congregations in Brazil that reportedly served as a recruitment pipeline, sending young people to the Spindale compound on tourist and student visas. Many spoke little English on arrival. Passports were allegedly seized. American workers performing the same jobs were compensated. Brazilian workers, according to multiple accounts, were not. Former member Rebeca Melo called it slave labor. Anti-Slavery International noted that using religion to traffic and exploit people follows established patterns of modern slavery. In 2014, three former members reported the allegations directly to an assistant U.S. attorney. A recording captured the conversation. The prosecutor asked whether the Brazilians were beaten. The former members confirmed it. She promised to look into the situation. According to their accounts, she never followed up. Tony Brueski continues a five-part investigation with the international pipeline former members say was built on stolen passports and stolen 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.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod

X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

#WordOfFaith #JaneWhaley #HumanTrafficking #ForcedLabor #Cult #TrueCrime #Brazil #Spindale #HiddenKillers #CultAbuse