NJ Pastor, Wife Indicted On Sex Trafficking Charges

ORANGE, NJ — A self-proclaimed pastor and his wife are facing numerous charges after federal prosecutors accused them of sex trafficking in Essex County and forcing people to work for them without pay.

An indictment unsealed this week charged Treva Edwards, 60, and Christine Edwards, 63, with conspiracy to commit forced labor. Treva Edwards was also charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion and forced labor.

“These charges are an example of my office’s tireless commitment to combating human trafficking in our community," U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said in a statement. "If you engage in human trafficking, we will find you, and we will prosecute you."

According to the indictment, Treva Edwards and Christine Edwards were the founders and pastors of a church they named “Jesus is Lord by the Holy Ghost,” which they operated out of a multi-unit apartment building in Orange.

Between 2011 and 2020, prosecutors said the couple identified and recruited victims facing struggles in their personal lives to join the church and live and worship at their building. According to the indictment, Treva Edwards told the victims 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.

Prosecutors said the couple also told victims it was "God's will for them to work" and sent them to provide manual labor for contracts they secured in and around Orange. According to the indictment, the couple did not pay the victims for their work and kept the money they earned.

Treva Edwards also verbally and emotionally abused the victims, prosecutors said, and threatened them to gain their obedience and compel them to perform unpaid labor. According to the indictment, the couple also instituted and enforced rules about when and whether the victims could eat, sleep, pray, and work, and whether they could speak to non-members or leave the church building.

According to the allegations in the indictment, Treva Edwards also 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 and Christine Edwards were arrested on Wednesday and made their initial court appearances the following day.