DOJ may use follower’s plea bargain vs Quiboloy
State prosecutors may use the plea deal entered into by Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) member Marissa Duenas in the United States in the trafficking case against televangelist Apollo Quiboloy here in the Philippines, according to the Department of Justice.
Duenas reportedly admitted to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California that from 2015 to 2022, she and other KOJC members who were American citizens committed marriage fraud.
This was done through “sham marriages,” one of the alleged schemes used by Quiboloy’s religious sect to maintain the US residency status of bogus spouses.
However, Justice Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV said on Thursday that unless the information regarding Duenas’ plea bargain was formally presented in the local courts trying Quiboloy on various charges, including qualified human trafficking and sexual and child abuse, it will not have any effect in the country’s judicial process.
“But since it’s already in the media, of course, our prosecutors will use that, because they know that a co-respondent of Quiboloy has already admitted to this in another jurisdiction,” Clavano told reporters.
He said that the US government had not yet requested the extradition of the “appointed son of God” but noted that the filing of a certificate of candidacy for senator by Quiboloy, amid ongoing criminal cases in both the US and the Philippines, presented a challenge for both governments.
No senator material
“Someone accused of human trafficking cannot be a senator, especially when there is substantial evidence indicating that he is indeed doing such things,” Clavano said.
“His filing of the certificate of candidacy for Senate is a dare to the government to act quickly, because if the time comes and he is elected as a senator, then he will have some sort of protection already,” he added.
According to Clavano, what the government wants is for Quiboloy to first face the cases against him and “not to make a mockery” of the country’s democracy and election system.
The KOJC praised Duenas for her “courage,” admitting that she violated US marriage laws and defrauded the government. In a statement, the group said her actions were motivated by “sincerity to the cause of doing good to humanity” and her “commitment to serving God.”
In the United States, Quiboloy along with several other KOJC officials, including two US-based administrators, were indicted for allegedly operating a sex-trafficking ring that threatened victims as young as 12 with “eternal damnation” and physical abuse.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, the same judicial district where Duenas made her plea deal.
Quiboloy was charged with “conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.”
A warrant for his arrest was issued by the US court on Nov. 10, 2021.
The FBI said Quiboloy participated in a “labor trafficking scheme” that brought KOJC members to the United States with “fraudulently obtained visas.”
While in the US, these members were forced to solicit donations for a “bogus charity,” which were used to finance church operations and the “lavish lifestyles” of church leaders, the FBI said.
It said that KOJC members who were successful in getting donations for the church were forced to enter into sham marriages or to obtain fraudulent student visas to continue their solicitations.
