Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, Sex Trafficking, California 2023

Grimy Times

SANTA ANA, California – A superseding indictment unsealed today charges the founder of a Philippines-based church, Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, 71, and two top administrators, Teresita Tolibas Dandan, 59, and Felina Salinas, 50, with orchestrating a sex trafficking operation that coerced girls and young women to have sex with the church’s leader under threats of “eternal damnation.”

The superseding indictment expands on allegations made early last year against three Los Angeles-based administrators of the church, which is known as the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC). The nine defendants named in the 42-count superseding indictment are charged with participating in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity – the Glendale-based Children’s Joy Foundation (CJF) – donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.

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 Quiboloy, who was referred to as “The Appointed Son of God.” Three of the new defendants were arrested today by federal authorities. The remaining three, including Quiboloy, are believed to be in the Philippines.

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;

Dandan, 59, of Davao City, the “international administrator” who was one of the top overseers of KOJC and CJF operations in the United States;

Salinas, 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);

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 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 at her residence).

The three arrested today are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles and Honolulu. The superseding indictment charges Quiboloy, Dandan and Salinas with participating in a conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, as well as the sex trafficking of children. These three defendants allegedly recruited females ranging from approximately 12 to 25 years of age to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” for Quiboloy.

The superseding indictment charges Quiboloy, Dandan and Salinas with:

Conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion (18 U.S.C. § 1594(a)(1)(A));

Sex trafficking of children (18 U.S.C. § 1591(a)(1));

Sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion (18 U.S.C. § 1591(a)(1));

Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking (18 U.S.C. § 1594(a)(1)(A));

and

Conspiracy to commit forced labor (18 U.S.C. § 1592(a)(1)).

The indictment also charges the other defendants with various crimes related to the labor trafficking scheme, including conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, and obstruction of justice.

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