Two Facebook (FB) posts have appeared falsely implying that cases in the United States (U.S.) against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy have been dismissed.
These are misleading. The “KOJC leader” being referenced in the posts is Marissa Dueñas, the group’s human resources manager in California, who entered a plea bargain agreement in exchange for a lighter sentence.
A spokesperson from the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Oct. 10 that Dueñas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and admitted to helping the KOJC conduct around 25 to 100 sham marriages to evade U.S. immigration laws.
“All the charges against all other defendants remain pending, and trial is tentatively scheduled to begin on May 20, 2025,” added the DOJ in its announcement.
One of the FB posts, published the same day the DOJ made the announcement, bore this text and a huge image of Quiboloy:
“KORTE SA AMERIKA, IBINASURA ANG MGA KASONG HUMAN TRAFFICKING, MONEY LAUNDERING AT FORCED LABOR VS KOJC LEADER (Court in America junks human trafficking, money laundering, and forced labor cases vs KOJC leader).”
Some netizens who falsely thought the leader was Quiboloy congratulated the pastor in the comment section.
“Salamat sa Ama at dumating na ang panahon na nakita na nila ang katutuhanan (sic) sa mali nilang paratang kay Pastor (Thanks be to the Father, the time has come for them to realize the truth about their false accusations against the Pastor),” wrote one netizen.
Quiboloy continues to be in the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted list over allegations of labor trafficking, sex trafficking, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling. He is also facing local charges for trafficking and child sexual abuse.
The headline used in the circulating graphic was copied word-for-word from an Oct. 10 report of Sonshine Media Network International, which is the KOJC’s broadcast media arm.
VERA Files Fact Check has flagged other FB pages that copy-pasted the headline without identifying Dueñas in any part of their post, further causing misconceptions about who the “KOJC leader” was in the story.
The misleading post by FB page Archlight (created on July 5, 2014) garnered more than 6,373 reactions, 2,035 comments, and 1,818 shares. A similar post by FB page OneTV Philippines (created on Sept. 9, 2014) got over 788 interactions.
