FBI nabs leaders of Quiboloy’s church in US over trafficking raps —report
Three administrators of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy's Kingdom of Jesus Christ church in the United States were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for alleged human trafficking, according to a report on ABC News on Thursday.
The offices of the church in Los Angeles were raided after a criminal complaint was filed against leaders Guia Cabactulan, Marissa Duenas, and Amanda Estopare.
Citing information from investigators, the report said that the leaders force church members to solicit money for a children's foundation it was using as a front. The collection, however, actually goes to the church's operations.
Since 2013, the church has allegedly arranged visas for its members who were disguised as musical performers for events in the US but they would later on be forced to become "volunteers" soliciting donations with certain quotas.
The FBI said that these "volunteers'" passports were supposedly being withheld and they have been kept in the country through sketchy marriages and enrollments in schools.
The three arrested church leaders will be facing immigration fraud charges.
"KOJC workers often slept in their car overnight, parked at truck stops, or occasionally stayed in a small hotel room during their operations,” the complaint said.
In April 2018, the church also faced another FBI investigation for allegedly bringing members to Hawaii to sell food as part of the Kingdom's aggressive fundraising activities.
Quiboloy's lawyer previously denied that the church was under probe and stressed that no one was forced to participate in their activities.
GMA News Online is still trying to get fresh comments from the church. Calls made have yet to be returned, and e-mail and messages sent to the church's official social media account remain unanswered. — MDM, GMA News
Comments