MindaNews fact-checked the claim made by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, that he and his lawyers have been waiting for the start of his trial for sex trafficking and other crimes in the United States (US), but that the courts have always postponed it since 2018.
The claim is false. Quiboloy, along with five other defendants, was indicted on 10 November 2021 by a federal grand jury, and the court issued a warrant for them on the same day.
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In a voice message on his YouTube channel Sonshine Media last Feb. 21, Quiboloy said he is in hiding for fear of his life, claiming the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency, and other US authorities, aided by the Philippine government, are out to eliminate him due to the several felony charges he and other members of his church are facing in the US.
The charges include conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.
Quiboloy claimed that since 2018, they (referring to himself and his co-accused) and their lawyers have been waiting for the trial to start but it has always been postponed.
“Ginawan kami ng kaso na walang dahilan doon sa bansang America. Sumunod kami sa batas. Kung kami ay may sinabing violations na hindi naman katotohanan, iyan po ay nasa kanilang federal court na.
Meron na po kaming depensa. Naghihintay na po ang aming mga lawyer sa America at saka sa Pilipinas na simulan ang trial. Mula 2018 pinostpone. Tinawag 2020 pinostpone. 2022 pinostpone. 2021 ganun din. 2023 pinostpone pa rin. Ngayon hindi na po papayag ang judge, Nov. 5, 2024, talaga pong itutuloy na.”
(Translation: “We were accused without basis there in America. We followed the law. If indeed we committed violations but these are not true, these are now in their federal courts. We have prepared a defense. Our lawyers in America and in the Philippines are waiting for the trial to begin. Since 2018, it has been postponed. It was called in 2020 and postponed. Postponed in 2022. Same in 2022. Same in 2021. In 2023, it was still postponed. Now the judge will no longer allow [the postponement], it will really proceed on Nov. 5, 2024.”
As of 9:11 pm on Feb. 24, Quiboloy’s voice message on the YouTube channel with 90,200 subscribers, had 337,000 views, 14,000 reactions, and over 8,000 comments.
But a press release from the US Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California posted on the website of the US Department of Justice on Nov. 18, 2021 said Quiboloy was indicted on Nov. 10, 2021.
“The superseding indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury on November 10, expands the scope of the 2020 indictment by adding six new defendants, including the KOJC’s leader, Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, who was referred to as ‘The Appointed Son of God’,” the press release said.
“Three of the new defendants were arrested today by federal authorities. The remaining three, including Quiboloy, are believed to be in the Philippines,” it added.
The FBI posted the same information and a “wanted” poster on its website:
“Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.”
The trial for Quiboloy was scheduled in March 2024. But in an order dated November 2, 2023, US District Court for the Central District of California Judge Terry Hatter Jr., moved it to November 2024 “after US prosecutors and defendants Gaia Cabactulan, Marissa Duenas, Felina Salinas, Amanda Estopare, and Bettina Padilla Roces asked for additional time to allow them to study and review the charges so their legal team can effectively answer the cases.”
The defendants charged in the superseding indictment are:
- Quiboloy, believed to be 71, whose primary residence is a KOJC compound in Davao City, Philippines, but who also maintained large residences in Calabasas, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Kapolei, Hawaii;
- Teresita Tolibas Dandan, also known as “Tessie” and “Sis Ting,” 59, of Davao City, the “international administrator” who was one of the top overseers of KOJC and CJF operations in the United States;
- Helen Panilag, 56, of Davao City, the one-time top KOJC administrator in the U.S., who oversaw the collection of financial data from KOJC operations around the globe;
- Felina Salinas, also known as “Sis Eng Eng,” 50, of Kapolei, Hawaii, who allegedly was responsible for collecting and securing passports and other documents from KOJC workers in Hawaii, as well as directing funds solicited to church members to church officials in the Philippines (arrested today, Nov. 18, 2021);
- Guia Cabactulan, 61, the lead KOJC administrator in the United States who operated the KOJC compound in Van Nuys (charged in original indictment);
- Marissa Duenas, 43, a Van Nuys-based administrator who handled fraudulent immigration documents for workers (charged in original indictment);
- Amanda Estopare, 50, another Van Nuys-based administrator who was in charge of tracking and reporting the money raised in the U.S. to KOJC officials in the Philippines (charged in original indictment);
- Bettina Padilla Roces, also known as “Kuki,” 48, a fourth administrator who allegedly handled financial matters (arrested today, Nov. 18, 2021, in Reseda); and
- Maria De Leon, 72, a resident of the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, the owner of Liberty Legal Document Services, who allegedly processed fraudulent marriages and immigration-related documents for KOJC workers (arrested today, Nov. 18, 2021, at her residence).
As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public to potential fact-check stories.
MindaNews is a verified signatory to the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network.(H. Marcos C. Mordeno / MindaNews)
