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For Marissa Duenas, the plea deal is a lifeline — one that might spare her a harsher penalty. For Apollo Quiboloy, it is another crack in the once-impenetrable armor of his religious kingdom.
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – One of doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy’s key associates in the United States has broken ranks.
Marissa Duenas, one of the long trusted administrators of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), has agreed to plead guilty to charges that she conspired with Quiboloy’s group to defraud the US government.
Duenas signed a plea agreement with the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California on Monday, October 7 (US time), a document obtained by Rappler showed.
The 15-page agreement, signed by Assistant US Attorney Gregory Staples, Duenas, and Duenas’ lawyer John Littrell, laid out the terms: a confession of conspiracy in exchange for some measure of leniency. Staples signed the plea agreement on Tuesday, October 8, a day after Duenas had signed it.
For Duenas, the plea deal is a lifeline — one that might spare her a harsher penalty. For Quiboloy, it is another crack in the once-impenetrable armor of his religious kingdom.
Duenas is one of several Quiboloy associates in the US indicted in late 2021 by a federal jury in California for various criminal offenses, including sex trafficking, fraud, and money laundering.
She has been identified as an administrator of KOJC’s operations and a human resources manager in the US.
Duenas has been charged with conspiring to carry out a marriage fraud scheme used to circumvent US immigration laws and was linked to activities organized to solicit funds for the Quiboloy church.
Two of those indicted — Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag — were placed on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list, along with Quiboloy, as early as 2022.
Quiboloy, who is detained in a police facility, is set to be tried in two separate regional courts in Quezon City for sexual abuse of a minor, child abuse, and qualified trafficking.
In a jaw-dropping move, the preacher filed his certificate of candidacy for senator on Tuesday.
The other Quiboloy associates and co-accused who either surrendered or posted bail in the US are:
- Guia Cabactulan
- Amanda Estopare
- Felina Salinas
- Bettina Roces
- Maria de Leon
The group was charged with:
- Sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion
- Sex trafficking of children
- Marriage fraud
- Fraud and misuse of visas
- Bulk cash smuggling
- Promotional money laundering
- Concealment money laundering
- International promotional money laundering
In 2022, the US Department of Justice said De Leon, a paralegal and one of the co-accused, admitted to conspiring with Quiboloy’s group to sneak in church workers into the US and facilitate sham marriages. – Rappler.com
