Korean American ‘TikTok cult’ pastor faces intensifying federal investigation

On July 25, federal authorities raided a home in Tujunga, Los Angeles, connected to Robert Shinn, the pastor and talent manager at the center of Netflix’s 2024 documentary “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult.”

What went down: The multi-agency operation began at around 6 a.m. when personnel from the FBI, U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Labor served search warrants at the McGroarty Street home, with assistance from the El Monte Police Department’s SWAT team. Sources told FOX 11 later that authorities served five warrants at five separate properties, with Shinn detained at one of the locations. The search involved allegations of sex trafficking, money laundering, tax evasion, mail fraud and COVID-19-related fraud.

About Shinn: Canadian-born Shinn, 87, established Shekinah Church in 1994 to serve the Korean American community in Los Angeles. He created 7M Films in 2021 to help social media influencers and TikTok performers find entertainment work. Investigative journalist Katie Joy told NewsNation that Shinn “has for many years run a cult-like organization” and faces accusations of sexual assault from “no less than six women,” while noting he has used different names throughout his career.

Former members featured in the Netflix documentary say Shinn told followers they must “die” to family members who rejected his teachings, claiming that adequate devotion would save their relatives from eternal punishment. The pastor, with an estimated net worth of $15 million, has been involved in multiple legal disputes, including a 2011 case where former member Jung Hee Lee won her lawsuit against him for forcing her to work full-time for only $30 weekly. A civil case originally scheduled for trial in July has been postponed to October, but attorneys for the plaintiffs told KTLA they are “gratified” that the federal government is investigating him.

Shinn and his organization have denied the allegations, with 7M Films previously calling the Netflix documentary a “slanderous work of fiction.”