October 13, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) guaranteed that the criminal charges against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy in Philippine courts remain unstirred by the plea bargain agreement with US prosecutors of one of his former assistants, Marissa Dueñas.
“Upon verifying with the US embassy, the US prosecutors and Quiboloy co-defendant Marissa Dueñas have reached an agreement in which she pleads guilty to conspiracy to defraud the US government and the prosecutor agrees to dismiss the other charges against her only,” DOJ Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV said on Friday.
The DOJ stressed that the plea deal made by Dueñas has no bearing on the ongoing cases against Quiboloy in Philippine courts.
Quiboloy is facing child abuse charges in a Quezon City court, as well as qualified human trafficking charges in Pasig City.
Dueñas, who served as the human resources manager for KOJC, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the US government by arranging sham marriages to evade immigration laws. As part of the agreement, the charges of human trafficking, money laundering and forced labor against her were dropped.
The plea deal revealed that Dueñas, along with co-accused Gia Cabactulan and Amanda Estopare, helped organize more than 25 but fewer than 100 fraudulent marriages between 2015 and 2020 to help KOJC members circumvent US immigration laws.
These KOJC members were brought to the US under the pretense of being special guests at KOJC concerts, after which their passports were confiscated, and they were forced to solicit donations for KOJC’s Children’s Joy Foundation.
The foundation claimed to support underprivileged children in Manila. Still, US authorities allege that much of the $20 million raised between 2014 and 2019 was instead used by KOJC leaders for personal luxury, including the purchase of expensive cars and homes in the US.
Dueñas, Cabactulan and Estopare were arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in a raid in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, in February 2020. While Dueñas has now entered a plea deal, charges against Cabactulan and Estopare whose trial is set for May 20, 2025, are still pending.
US authorities continue to pursue their cases involving human trafficking, forced labor and money laundering, with the DOJ closely monitoring developments.
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