FALSE: US court junked serious cases vs KOJC leader
Danniell Domingo
SMNI News headlined on Oct. 10 that the US court had dismissed multiple cases against a KOJC leader, failing to clearly mention who the subject is.
CLAIM: US court junked cases of human trafficking, forced labor, and money laundering vs KOJC leader
RATING: FALSE
CONCLUSION: According to the US Embassy, the court only dismissed multiple charges against the KOJC human resources manager Marissa Duenas following her plea deal to conspiracy to defraud the US government. SMNI News skipped to mention that Quiboloy still faces multiple charges, including a non-bailable case. The KOJC founder and executive pastor has not been cleared by the US court and is set to face a Senate hearing on Oct. 23.
Marissa Duenas, a human resources manager for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) in California, has entered a plea agreement with the US Attorney's Office on Oct. 7, admitting to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud to help KOJC members maintain U.S. immigration status.
Duenas defrauded the US government by assisting KOJC in arranging between 25 and 100 fraudulent marriages to bypass US immigration laws.
In exchange for her guilty plea, the remaining charges against her will be dismissed, according to a 16-page document obtained by GMA Integrated News.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that Duenas' plea deal will be used in the cases against Quiboloy, who is currently facing child abuse charges in a Quezon City court and qualified trafficking charges in a Pasig court.
In addition to his legal issues in the Philippines, Quiboloy is also facing serious charges in the US.
The detained pastor was indicted for engaging in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion as well as cash smuggling.
Despite being in detention, Quiboloy has filed his candidacy for senator in the 2025 elections.