U.S. Grand Jury Indicts 3 Officials of Philippine-Based Church

Volume 1, Issue No. 28

OPINION/COMMENTARY

/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /

. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . .

 Our latest as of Friday, February 14, 2020 

~ A federal grand jury in California has indicted top officials of a church founded and led by the self-declared "appointed son of God" for allegedly conspiring to engage in trafficking through immigration and marriage fraud. The three defendants who were arrested on January 29 are scheduled to be arraigned on February 20 in Los Angeles, California.

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TRAFFICKING, FRAUD ARE ALLEGED

Acolytes of 'Appointed Son of God' Indicted

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ 

Editor, The Filipino Web Channel

TORONTO - Three top officials of a Philippine-based church founded by Apollo Quiboloy, the self-declared "appointed son of God", have been indicted in California for allegedly conspiring "to commit a series of offenses, including trafficking with respect to forced labor, document servitude, immigration fraud and marriage fraud". (Video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytDeX8-EWA).

Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the United States Attorney in the Central District of California, identified the defendants in a press statement furnished The Filipino Web Channel on Thursday, February 13, 2020, as:  

1. Guia Cabactulan, 59, the lead administrator of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC) in the United States who maintained direct communication with KOJC leadership in the Philippines; (Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Jesus_Christ_(church)).

2. Marissa Duenas, 41, who allegedly secured the passports immediately after workers entered the U.S. and handled fraudulent immigration documents for KOJC workers; and 

3. Amanda Estopare, 48, who allegedly was in charge of tracking and reporting the money raised in the U.S. to KOJC officials in the Philippines.

"All three defendants – who were arrested on January 29 and remain in federal custody – are scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on February 20 in United States District Court in Los Angeles," the spokesman said.

Quiboloy, referred to as Pastor Quiboloy by his KOJC followers, is a close friend and supporter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in whose hometown, Davao City, his church's main cathedral is located. (More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Quiboloy).

The indictment alleged that KOJC representatives obtained visas for church members to enter the U.S. by claiming, for example, they would be performing at musical events. But once the church members arrived in the U.S., they were required to surrender their passports and work long hours as “FTWs” (full-time workers), who solicited donations for a church non-profit called the Children’s Joy Foundation USA (CJF). 

The indictment claimed that while the workers raised funds by telling donors their money would benefit impoverished children in the Philippines, most or all of the money raised was used to finance KOJC operations and the lavish lifestyles of church leaders.

"While some KOJC workers knew they were entering the U.S. to be fundraisers," the indictment alleged “other KOJC workers were unaware of the actual purpose until they were forced . . . to solicit on the streets nearly every day, year-round, working very long hours, and often sleeping in cars overnight, without normal access to over-the-counter medicine or even clothes.”

"The defendants confiscated the victims’ passports and other immigration documents to prevent and restrict . . . JC workers’ liberty to move and travel in order to maintain the labor and services of KOJC workers, some of whom were and had been a victim of a severe form of trafficking,” according to the indictment.

 "As part of the long-running scheme, the three defendants kept productive workers in the U.S. by obtaining student visas or by arranging sham marriages with KOJC workers who were U.S. citizens," the indictment alleged. 

"To create the illusion of legitimate marriages," the indictment alleged, "Duenas possessed ATM cards to show immigration officials that workers in the sham marriages had joint bank accounts. 

"Furthermore, Cabactulan and Duenas possessed wedding rings for KOJC workers to use during their fraudulent marriage ceremonies. Immigration records summarized in the criminal complaint indicate there were 82 marriages involving KOJC administrators and FTWs over the past two decades," according to the indictment. 

"When authorities searched the KOJC compound in Van Nuys on January 29, Cabactulan and Duenas possessed approximately 72 Filipino passports, seven United States passports, and one Ukrainian passport that belonged to other people," the indictment alleged. It also noted that Duenas possessed four male wedding rings and three female wedding rings in an office at the KOJC compound. (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).