US court reschedules plea hearings of 2 arrested KOJC execs

NEW YORK — The US District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles has rescheduled the plea agreement hearing for Amanda Estopare and Guia Cabactulan, administrators of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) in the United States.

The plea hearing date, originally set for November 18, 2024 in California, has been rescheduled to December 16, 2024.

The sentencing of Maria de Leon has also been rescheduled for the third time. Initially set for January 25, 2025, it has now been moved to August 18, 2025.

De Leon, although not a member of KOJC, served as the group's travel agent accused of facilitating fraudulent documents to help KOJC members obtain legal status in the US.

The sentencing of Marissa Duenas, another KOJC administrator, is scheduled for February 24, 2025. The United States District Court for the Central District of California earlier accepted Duenas' guilty plea.

Duenas, a human resources manager for the KOJC in Van Nuys, has agreed to plead guilty to the conspiracy charge to defraud the US in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Cabactulan, Duenas, and Estopare, as well as De Leon, are facing charges in connection with an alleged conspiracy to commit immigration fraud in the US on behalf of KOJC members.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Cabactulan and Duenas at the KOJC office in Van Nuys, California, while Estopare was arrested in Virginia in 2020.

The criminal complaint alleges a years-long scheme to bring KOJC workers to the US under false pretenses, including arranging fraudulent marriages to US citizens, obtaining student visas from schools with questionable attendance policies, and engaging in immigration fraud.

According to the complaint, 82 fraudulent marriages involving KOJC members and administrators have been documented over the past two decades. The scheme allegedly allowed KOJC to keep workers for fundraising activities, falsely claiming that the donations would benefit impoverished children in the Philippines.

According to affidavits and statements from former KOJC members, the workers were required to meet daily cash solicitation quotas and faced abuse if they failed to do so. 

KOJC founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, in a House hearing in the Philippines in October, vehemently denied allegations of him using members to beg and raise funds for his organization.

Quiboloy is facing a non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge under Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9208, as amended, before a Philippine court. He is also facing charges under Section 5(b) and  Section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.

Quiboloy has denied the allegations against him and dared his accusers to file charges against him. —KBK, GMA Integrated News