A California district court has accepted the guilty plea of Guia Cabactulan and Amanda Estopare, both formerly top Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) administrators in the United States.
Judge Terry Hatter Jr. has ordered the preparation of a pre-sentence report for Estopare and Cabactulan after the court accepted their guilty plea to Count 7 of the First Superseding Indictment, which pertains to visa fraud, court documents obtained by GMA Integrated News showed.
Hatter questioned both defendants about the plea agreement they entered with the US District Attorney’s Office in October. Both confirmed that they voluntarily admitted their guilt and fully understood the terms of the agreement.
As a result, the court allowed them to remain temporarily free on bail, provided they comply with the terms and conditions set by the court during their release.
The accused are currently under the supervision of the Probation Office and are scheduled to be sentenced on April 21, 2025, GMA also reported.
According to court documents, beginning 2015 to on or about January 29, 2020, the defendants and others had an agreement to commit marriage fraud.
They arranged for KOJC members, who were sent by KOJC founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to the US, to enter into sham marriages with other KOJC members who were US citizens to enable them to apply for permanent resident status.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) earlier arrested Cabactulan and Marissa Duenas, another KOJC administrator, at the KOJC office in Van Nuys, California, while Estopare was arrested in Virginia in 2020.
The US District Court for the Central District of California earlier accepted Duenas’ guilty plea.
Sentencing for Duenas and Maria De Leon, a travel agent accused of falsifying documents to help KOJC members obtain legal status, is also expected next year.
Meanwhile, a separate U.S. Department of Justice document obtained by the Manila Standard described Guia as the “top KOJC official in the United States who maintained direct communication with KOJC leadership in the Philippines.”
Estopare allegedly “handled the financial aspects of the KOJC enterprise, including enforcing fundraising quotas for KOJC workers.”
Duenas allegedly “handled fraudulent immigration documents for KOJC workers and secured the passports immediately after workers entered the U.S.,” it was also stated.
The same document also stated that the trio “raised funds by telling donors their money would benefit impoverished children in the Philippines, the complaint [U.S. prosecutors] alleges that most or all of the money raised was used to finance KOJC operations and the church leader’s lavish lifestyle.”
