NJ Pastor Indicted for Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor in Cult-like Church-Run Scheme

Federal indictment alleges NJ couple coerced vulnerable followers into unpaid labor and, in one case, sexual abuse under the guise of religious obedience.

ORANGE, NJ - A husband and wife from Orange, New Jersey, who led a self-described church, have been indicted in a federal case involving charges of sex trafficking, forced labor, and conspiracy to commit forced labor, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Treva Edwards, 60, and Christine Edwards, 63, were arrested on May 7, 2025, following the unsealing of an April 25 indictment. The pair allegedly operated a religious organization known as “Jesus is Lord by the Holy Ghost” out of a multi-unit apartment building in Orange. Federal prosecutors allege they used the church as a front to recruit and exploit vulnerable individuals over nearly a decade.

Between 2011 and 2020, the defendants identified and recruited victims who were facing struggles in their personal lives, including financial and familial struggles, to join the church and live and worship at the church building. Treva Edwards told the victims that he was a prophet who could communicate directly with God and that disobeying him would result in spiritual retribution from God, as well as physical, emotional, and financial harm.

The defendants preached to the victims that it was God’s will for them to work, and that members had to perform labor to serve God. The defendants secured labor contracts to provide manual labor in and around Orange, New Jersey, and the defendants dispatched the victims to perform the contracted labor. The defendants did not pay wages to the victims for their work and kept the money earned from their labor.

The defendants convinced the victims that they would lose favor with God if they did not perform labor. Treva Edwards spread fear among the victims through verbal and emotional abuse and threats of reputational harm, homelessness, hunger, spiritual retribution, punishments, and more hard labor to gain their obedience and compel them to perform unpaid labor. The defendants instituted and enforced strict rules about when and whether the victims could eat or sleep, when and for how long they were to pray and work, and whether they could speak to non-members or leave the church building. The defendants isolated the victims, monitored their communications and whereabouts, and convinced them that non-members were evil or possessed by the devil. The defendants deprived the victims of sleep, typically fed them only once a day after they completed their work.

According to the allegations in the indictment, Treva Edwards controlled and subjected one victim to repeated physical and sexual assaults, impregnated her, and instructed her to get an abortion.

“Treva and Christine Edwards turned a source of hope into a tool of fear by allegedly exploiting religious faith to manipulate victims and expose them to sexual violence and forced labor conditions,” said Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel of HSI Newark Division.

Treva Edwards faces additional charges for alleged sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, including repeated sexual assault of one victim, whom he is accused of impregnating and instructing to obtain an abortion.

The charge of sex trafficking carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. The forced labor charge carries up to 20 years or life if aggravated sexual abuse is proven. The conspiracy charge against both defendants is punishable by up to 20 years.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trevor Chenoweth and Susan Millenky, along with Trial Attorney Francisco Zornosa from the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations Newark and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General. The indictment was issued under the umbrella of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, established in 2025.

HSI encourages anyone with relevant information to contact its Human Trafficking Hotline at (866) 347-2423 (option 2), referencing Edwards or Jesus is Lord Church, or via email at hsinewarkhumantrafficking@hsi.dhs.gov. The public may also reach out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888.

The charges in this case remain allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.