Robert Shinn Lawsuit: Cross-Complaint and Federal Investigation

The Robert Shinn lawsuit is actually two parallel legal tracks. On the civil side, former Shekinah Church members and 7M Films dancers have filed a cross-complaint with 52 causes of action, including human trafficking, sexual battery, forced labor, fraud, and coercive control, with trial set to begin October 27, 2025 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. On the criminal side, federal agents raided a Shinn-linked property in July 2025 as part of an investigation into sex trafficking, money laundering, tax evasion, mail fraud, and pandemic-era fraud. No criminal charges have been filed.¹

Who Robert Shinn Is

Shinn founded the nondenominational Shekinah Church in Los Angeles in 1994 after immigrating to the United States from Toronto.² In 2021, he and his son Isaiah co-founded 7M Films, a talent management company that signed TikTok dancers, many of whom were also Shekinah members.³ Dancers represented by 7M were allegedly required to hand over a large portion of their earnings and cut ties with family members outside the organization.⁴

How the Current Case Started

Shinn filed the case first. In October 2022, he sued former church members in Los Angeles Superior Court for defamation, naming sisters Priscylla Leigh and Melanie Lee Goldman along with several social media moderators. He alleged they had waged a smear campaign and attempted to extort him.²

In March 2023, the defendants answered with a sweeping cross-complaint against Shinn, 7M Films, Shekinah Church, and 17 additional individuals and entities. Cross-complainants include former 7M dancers Aubrey Fisher-Greene, Kylie Douglas, Kevin “Konkrete” Davis, and Kailea Gray.² The case is docketed as No. 22STCV34672.⁵

What the Cross-Complaint Alleges

The third amended cross-complaint, filed in May 2024, contains 52 causes of action. They fall into four main categories.

Human trafficking and forced labor claims are brought under California Civil Code § 52.5 and 18 U.S.C. § 1589. The filing alleges Shinn used his position as church leader to coerce members into unpaid or underpaid labor and controlled where they lived, how they spent their time, and how their money was handled.⁵

Sexual abuse claims include sexual battery and gender violence. Kylie Douglas alleges Shinn offered to “crack her back” during a gym session and then engaged in unwanted sexual contact; she filed a police report.²

Financial claims include fraud, conversion, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, and wage-and-hour violations. The cross-complaint alleges Shinn collected excessive tithes, took 20 to 30 percent of dancers’ earnings, and directed members to apply for $100,000 in COVID relief funds that were then diverted to his corporations.²

Emotional abuse claims cover intentional infliction of emotional distress and workplace harassment, with allegations of brainwashing, manipulation, and enforced isolation from family.⁵

Priscylla Leigh’s Allegations

Cross-complainant Elisha Priscylla Leigh’s claims are the most detailed in the record. She alleges that beginning around 2009, Shinn groomed her for sexual acts by requesting thigh massages when they were alone, escalating to ordering her to touch him sexually. Between 2010 and 2012, she alleges, Shinn met her multiple times a week at properties he controlled and directed her to shower with him and have intercourse. Leigh says she complied because she believed she had to in order to keep her job at RCP Financial, Inc., a Shinn-affiliated company, remain in the church, and achieve salvation.⁵

On the financial side, Leigh alleges Shinn controlled her bank accounts and required her to pre-sign checks made out to him and other church members. She claims that in 2009 and 2010, Shinn and his wife Hannah confiscated roughly $500,000 in her personal belongings, including designer goods, jewelry, and furniture. During the pandemic, according to the filing, Shinn stopped paying her salary but he and Hannah used her state unemployment debit card to claim $800 per month for themselves.⁵

Shinn’s Response

Shinn, his codefendants, 7M Films, and Shekinah Church deny all the allegations. 7M Films has called the accusations “a slanderous work of fiction” and threatened “all legal remedies available to stop the spread of salacious lies.”⁶ The company maintains that 7M Films and Shekinah Church are “run and operated separate and apart from one another.”⁷ Shinn’s wife, Helen Shinn, has described the accusations as an extortion-driven smear campaign.⁸

The civil trial was originally set for July 7, 2025 and has been rescheduled to October 27, 2025.¹

The Federal Criminal Investigation

On July 25, 2025, at around 6:00 a.m., federal agents executed a search warrant at 7744 McGroarty Street in Tujunga, California, a gated property linked to Shinn. Agents rammed two gates to enter. The FBI, IRS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Department of Labor participated, with assistance from the El Monte Police Department.³ One report indicates warrants were also served at four other properties.⁹

The warrants were tied to an investigation into sex trafficking, money laundering, tax evasion, mail fraud, and COVID-19 pandemic-era fraud.¹ At least six people were seen in handcuffs outside the residence, but law enforcement confirmed no formal arrests were made.¹⁰ Shinn himself was detained but not arrested.¹¹

As of late July 2025, no charges had been filed and the investigation records remained under seal.¹² Postal Inspector Patricia Mendoza called it an “active case” and said officials were “continuing to gather and review information.”³ Federal authorities were reportedly planning to present the case to a grand jury, though no indictment had been announced.⁹

Earlier Lawsuits Against Shinn

Financial claims against Shinn predate the current litigation by more than a decade. In 2009, former Shekinah member Lydia Chung sued him for fraud and labor violations, alleging he used “undue influence, mind control, coercive persuasion, oppression and other intimidating tactics” to obtain roughly $3.8 million from her and forced her to work six days a week without pay. A judge ruled in Shinn’s favor.²

In 2011, former member Jung Hee Lee filed a complaint with the California Labor Board alleging that despite working full-time for the church, she received only a $30 weekly stipend because the church controlled her bank accounts. Lee was awarded more than $9,000 in unpaid wages and damages.¹³

1
KTLA. Sex Trafficking Warrant Served at L.A. Home Owned by Alleged TikTok Cult Pastor
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Rolling Stone. 7M Dancers Sue Alleging Robert Shinn Runs Cult
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Los Angeles Times. Feds Raid Tujunga Home of Alleged TikTok Cult Pastor in Sex Trafficking Investigation
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Netflix Tudum. Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
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Fox News. Third Amended Cross-Complaint, Case No. 22STCV34672
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Vanity Fair. 7M Dancer and Shekinah Church Member Miranda Derrick Calls Netflix Doc One-Sided
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Vanity Fair. 7M Dancer and Shekinah Church Member Miranda Derrick Calls Netflix Doc One-Sided
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Yahoo News. What Happened to Robert Shinn, the Pastor Behind 7M Films
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FOX Los Angeles. Robert Shinn Shekinah Church TikTok Cult Raid LA
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New York Post. California Home Linked to TikTok Cult Pastor Robert Shinn Raided in Sex Trafficking Probe
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KFI AM 640. Who Is Robert Shinn, TikTok Cult Pastor Detained in LA Raid
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NewsNation. LA Pastor Allegations: Robert Shinn Iceberg
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People. Dancing for the Devil: 7M TikTok True Story