Federal prosecutors have unveiled a sprawling sex and labor trafficking indictment targeting Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed ‘Appointed Son of God’ and leader of the Philippines-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC). The superseding indictment, unsealed in Santa Ana, California, charges Quiboloy and eight top administrators with coercing young women into sex under threats of ‘eternal damnation,’ while running a nationwide forced donation racket disguised as charity.
Quiboloy, believed to be 71, operated from a fortified compound in Davao City, Philippines, while maintaining luxury homes in Calabasas, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Kapolei, Hawaii. The nine defendants named in the 42-count indictment are accused of orchestrating a labor trafficking scheme that funneled church members into the U.S. on fraudulent visas. Once stateside, they were forced to solicit donations for the Glendale-based Children’s Joy Foundation (CJF)—a front operation that bankrolled church operations and the leaders’ lavish lifestyles.
The indictment details a system of control: members who raised significant funds were pushed into sham marriages or fraudulent student visas to stay in the U.S. indefinitely. Passports were seized, movements monitored, and dissent punished. Teresita Tolibas Dandan, 59, known as ‘Tessie’ and ‘Sis Ting,’ served as international administrator, overseeing U.S. operations. Helen Panilag, 56, once the top U.S. KOJC administrator, managed global financial data collection for the network.
Three defendants were arrested today: Felina Salinas, 50, of Kapolei, Hawaii, allegedly collected and secured passports and funneled U.S. donations to the Philippines; Bettina Padilla Roces, 48, also known as ‘Kuki,’ handled financial operations and was apprehended in Reseda; and Maria De Leon, 72, owner of Liberty Legal Document Services in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, allegedly processed fraudulent marriage and immigration paperwork for church workers from her residence, where she was taken into custody.
Quiboloy, Dandan, and Salinas face the most severe allegations—conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, including the trafficking of children. The indictment alleges they recruited females aged 12 to 25 to serve as personal assistants, or ‘pastorals,’ for Quiboloy, where they were pressured into sexual acts under manipulative religious doctrine. Those who resisted were threatened with eternal damnation and cut off from family and support.
The superseding indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on November 10, expands the original 2020 charges against three Los Angeles-based administrators. The three arrested today are scheduled for initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles and Honolulu. Quiboloy and the remaining two co-defendants remain at large in the Philippines, where extradition efforts may face significant diplomatic and legal hurdles.
Related Federal Cases
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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