Quiboloy sect links wanted poster to elections

Franco Jose C. Baroña
The Manila Times
February 7, 2022

THE lawyer of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) has linked the release of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wanted poster of KoJC executive pastor Apollo Quiboloy to the national elections in May.

A United States federal grand jury indicted Quiboloy on sex trafficking and other charges on Nov. 10, 2021 and a warrant for his arrest was issued on the same day.

Quiboloy is widely acknowledged to be the longtime spiritual adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a press conference Sunday, Ferdinand Topacio questioned the delay in publishing the FBI poster.

"Common sense dictates that if you have a warrant (of arrest) you immediately put up a wanted poster," said Topacio. "Why did they wait until now when the campaign for the national elections would start before they released this (wanted) poster. That is one thing that we noticed about that," he added in a mix of English and Filipino.

Topacio, who joined the KoJC legal team only last December, said such a poster is publicized only when a person is actually a fugitive from justice and is in hiding.

"Everyone knows where Pastor Quiboloy is," he said. "You must be hiding under a rock here in this country not to know where he is." Quiboloy is not within US jurisdiction "so why was the poster released in America considering that he is here and everyone knows that there is still an extradition process if he really needs to go to America," Topacio added.

He said he is not "fomenting any conspiracy theories here, but we all have to be in a state of abject denial to say that the United States has not been interfering with our elections since as far as we can remember." He cited the book Portrait of a Cold Warrior by Joseph Smith where it describes how the US Central Intelligence Agency allegedly meddled in the political affairs of countries in South East Asia, including the Philippines.

At the same time, Topacio noted that it is only now that "trumped up" charges are surfacing against Quiboloy.

"And you will wonder why when Duterte was not yet president, you did not hear such accusations against Quiboloy," he said. "It was only in 2016 when trumped up charges began to be filed against Quiboloy."

Topacio said the only logical reason is that someone is using the "closeness" of Quiboloy with Duterte to indirectly tarnish the President's reputation.

"I think this is designed to humiliate and to embarrass (Quiboloy) and the members of the Kingdom," he declared. "This is obviously an orchestrated effort to destroy Quiboloy and indirectly the present administration for political effect." The FBI poster notes that Quiboloy is wanted for "conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; bulk cash smuggling." The agency released the poster nearly three months after Quiboloy and his senior aides were indicted by a US federal grand jury in California for allegedly forcing girls and young women to have sex with him to save them from "eternal damnation." The FBI said Quiboloy is also involved in a "labor trafficking scheme" that brought members of his church to the US on "fraudulently obtained visas" and forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity.

It said the money collected was spent for the operations of KoJC and for the "lavish lifestyles of its leaders." "Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the United States year-round," the FBI said.

Separate wanted posters were issued for Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, both top officials of the religious sect that Quiboloy founded in 1985.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/02/07/news/national/quiboloy-sect-links-wanted-poster-to-elections/1832070

CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/24/2021 (Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church, Sex Trafficking, Philippines, Conservatorship)

Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church, Sex Trafficking, Philippines, Conservatorship

SFGate: Philippine church leader charged with child sex trafficking

"The leader of a Philippines-based church was charged with having sex with women and underage girls who faced threats of abuse and "eternal damnation" unless they catered to the self-proclaimed "son of God," federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

Apollo Carreon Quiboloy and two of his top administrators are among nine people named in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury last week and unsealed Thursday. The indictment includes three Los Angeles-based administrators of Quiboloy's church who were charged last year. The new indictment also names a church administrator in Hawaii.

Quiboloy, 71, is head of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, founded in 1985. The church claims to have 6 million members in about 200 countries. Its United States headquarters is in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles.

The church backed the 2016 candidacy of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, a close friend of Quiboloy. Duterte used the group's radio and TV program in southern Davao city to express his views on issues way back when he was mayor of the southern port city."

Asian Journal: What Will Happen To Televangelist Apollo Quiboloy's Media Empire? Duterte's Friend And Spiritual Adviser Indicted In The US For Sex Trafficking

"'PASTOR' Apollo Quiboloy, founder and chairman of the mega-church "Kingdom of Jesus Christ" in the Philippines, made headlines again globally on Thursday, November 18, not just because of his outrageous claims about his identity and how he "brands" himself to millions of Filipinos who follow him, but because he has again been implicated in serious crimes.

This time, the man who claimed himself to be the "Owner of the Universe" and "Appointed Son of God," was indicted for a sex trafficking operation that was supported by funds solicited by donors here in the United States.

An indictment is an official accusation stating that a person is being charged with a crime and that a criminal trial will be held. An indictment is the final step in the evidence-gathering process before a person is out on trial for a serious crime.

Quiboloy, a long-time friend and the spiritual adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte, has millions of Filipino followers because of the privilege accorded to him and his media empire. Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), also known by its legal operating name Swara Sug Media Corporation, is the official broadcasting arm of The Kingdom of Jesus Christ mega-church. Duterte granted Swara Sug Media Corporation 25 years extension to operate when he signed the Republic Act. 11422 in 2019."

Salon: I was in a cult. Britney was in a conservatorship. Our situations are crazy similar

" ... The point of the cult was to break the girls' wills and to eradicate our identities so that we'd become compliant zombies and do whatever we were told. Cults are about power and control, and much is the same in a conservatorship, such as Britney's — the purpose is to abolish the selfhood of the conservatee, turning them into a puppet of the conservator.

In Britney's testimony, she claimed her dad controlled what she ate and whether she drank coffee. She also couldn't drive. In the cult, our diets were also controlled. The teenage girls were fed last, often only lentils and rice. For years, we weren't allowed to drink caffeine of any type, and surely not coffee. Just as Britney wasn't allowed bodily autonomy, having lithium pills forced down her throat, we also weren't in charge of our bodies."

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CultNEWS101 Articles: 2/13/2020

Jehovah's Witnesses, NXIVM, Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, Hare Krishna Movement, China, Religious Freedom
 

Punch: People blaming me don't know how much I love my daughter – Jehovah's Witness dad who rejected blood transfusion

"Emmanuel Onokpise is the father of the baby who was allegedly rescued by officials of the Lagos State Government and the Office of the Public Defender and given blood transfusion for jaundice, after he declined the medical procedure in line with his faith as a Jehovah's Witness."

BBC: Jehovah's Witnesses told to pay rape victim £62k

"Leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses have been told to pay £62,000 in damages to a former member who was raped after door-to-door visits.

The woman was attacked 30 years ago by Mark Sewell after evangelising for the religious group near Cardiff.

A "judicial committee" of the group's elders found the allegations against Sewell "not proven" in an internal inquiry in 1991.

But High Court judge Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled in the her favour.

Sewell was jailed for 14 years after a trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in 2014 convicted him of raping the woman and indecently assaulting two other people."

9News: Nxivm 'sex-cult' accused of conducting psychological experiments on members

"A federal lawsuit in New York accuses Nxivm founder Keith Raniere and 14 associates of conducting illegal psychological experiments on members of the self-help company and systematically abusing them physically, emotionally and financially.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday by more than 80 alleged victims seeking financial relief and a jury trial. Nxivm and its entities are also listed in the lawsuit."

" ... The defendants allegedly committed "sex trafficking, peonage, forced labour and human trafficking offences" while enticing members to join a company that "functioned as both a Ponzi scheme and a coercive community," according to the lawsuit.

Nxivm touted itself as a coaching and educational business for corporations and individuals, but prosecutors say in the lawsuit that the company actually acted as a multilevel marketing pyramid scheme with a secret society involved in things like sex trafficking and "master-slave relationships."

Fox News: Los Angeles church raided in FBI immigration-fraud bust

"A California church leader was arrested by the FBI on immigration fraud charges because of a decadeslong scheme to trick followers into becoming fundraisers and arrange sham marriages to keep them in the U.S., according to reports.

The local leader of the Philippines-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ church in Los Angeles was arrested in the early morning bust along with a worker who confiscated passports of the victims of the scheme, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Fundraisers who managed to escape from the church told the FBI that they had been sent across the U.S. to solicit donations for the church's charity, The Children's Joy Foundation, and were beaten if they didn't make daily quotas, according to affidavit filed in support of the charges.

Some described having to live in cars at truck stops.

An FBI agent investigating the case documented 82 sham marriages over a 20-year period and tracked $20 million raised between 2014 and the middle of last year that was sent back to the church in the Philippines."

Eleven Naked Emperors: The Crisis of Charismatic Succession in the Hare Krishna Movement (1977-1987)

"Eleven Naked Emperors is quite masterful, and extremely important. The story is a long and complicated one, but Doktorski has done an outstanding job putting the entire drama into a very well documented and highly readable account. His tone is remarkably non-partisan, non-polemical and he has tried sincerely to be fair and impartial. I might add, for those who feel that dirty laundry should not be displayed in public, that there is nothing in Doktorski's work that seeks to undermine the faith of the devotees in Krishna or, for that matter, in the institution of ISKCON. Those assuming the role of gurus, most especially, should read this book carefully. And this is also a book for the tens of thousands of devotees driven away from ISKCON with their spiritual ideals in tatters; this is their story too. The author has risen to the dharma of the historian in documenting a defining period in the history of the Hare Krishna movement.Edwin BryantProfessor of Hindu Philosophy and Religion Rutgers University DURING A DISPUTATIOUS DECADE, after they had buried the saintly Founder of the institution, the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)—more commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement—appointed eleven men as successors to the Founder in what one disciple called "a bloodless coup." Each of the eleven ruled their own geographic regions (zones), where they were erroneously regarded as pure and perfect beings (acharyas). They were considered beyond criticism and worshiped "as good as God." The eleven, however, pretended to be something they were not (like the main character in Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes), and within a few short years insurmountable problems afflicted some of the ISKCON "gurus," such as falling down into prohibited activities, like illicit sex and intoxication. Unfortunately, the astute and dedicated disciples who criticized the zonal "acharyas" were shunned, expelled, beaten, or (in one extreme case) assassinated. Hundreds, if not thousands of formerly-loyal members defected, were blacklisted, or (in two cases) committed suicide. This book chronicles the era of the ISKCON zonal "acharyas" from their first appearance in 1978, through their meteoric rise to power, their ten-year reign, their fall in 1987, and beyond.For fifteen years the author served as a faithful disciple of one of the zonal "acharyas," and lived through many of the events described in this book. Recently, he has interviewed major players in this drama, who have contributed important inside information so we can more fully understand this controversial and little-documented chapter in the history of ISKCON."

Bitter Winter: China's Handbook on Concealing Religious Persecution

"On November 26, 2019, Bitter Winter reported about the Catholic church in Ji'an city in the southeastern province of Jiangxi, where the painting of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child was removed on orders from local officials and was replaced with the portrait of President Xi Jinping. After the news circulated widely abroad, local government officials went to the church at night and removed the portrait and propaganda slogans next to it. A wooden signboard, "Minors are forbidden to participate in religious activities," displayed at the church entrance, was also removed.

The portrait of Xi Jinping and propaganda slogans were displayed on a wall in a Catholic church in Ji'an city.

A local government employee confirmed to Bitter Winter that the portrait and slogans were removed because the incident had been reported overseas, which has "smeared the CCP's image."

After our report about the Zhongyuan Yidianhong Temple in Henan Province's Ruzhou city, dedicated to the worshiping of China's leaders, has been widely shared abroad, the government hurriedly destroyed the temple the same month."

What does the totalitarian regime do when news about its mistreatment of citizens get out? It lies, hides or destroys evidence, adopts harsher suppression measures.

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CultNEWS101 Articles: 9/26/2019

Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church, Legal, Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana Inc., Sexual Abuse,  Columnas de Fuego Evangelical Church, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability

The Christian Post: Megachurch Pastor Apollo Quiboloy allegedly smuggled over $100K out of the US

"Controversial Filipino megachurch Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who was arrested by federal agents in Honolulu, Hawaii, last year after weapons and $350,000 were found on his private jet, has been accused of previously smuggling hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the country.

Quiboloy, who founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church, which he claims has 4 million tithing followers in the Philippines and 2 million more in other countries including the United States, allegedly smuggled money out of the country on two separate occasions in 2013 and 2014, Hawaii News Now reported.

Former church member Kristina Angeles said she witnessed Quiboloy and Felina Salinas, a manager for the Hawaii branch of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church, order "church members [to conceal] U.S. currency in black socks," during the noted time frame, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Albanese wrote in court documents. 'The socks were packed in a suitcase which was transported to the Philippines.'"

Law.com: Appellate Court Upholds $900K Damages Award in Case Where Televangelist Blamed Granddaughter for Her Own Rape

"A California appellate court upheld a $900,000 damages award that granddaughter of televangelist Jan Crouch was awarded for intentional infliction of emotional distress after Crouch blamed her for being drugged and raped by an employee of the church she ran. 

The Fourth District Court of Appeal on Thursday decided that Crouch's behavior went beyond "grandmotherly scolding or irascible behavior," as lawyers for Trinity Christian Center of Santa Ana Inc.—the church and televangelist network she co-founded with her husband Paul Crouch Sr.—had argued."

Local 10: South Florida pastor accused of raping two girls

"A South Florida pastor was arrested Thursday [September 12th] on accusations that he raped two girls at his home in Miami-Dade County, authorities said.

Yunior Beltres, 54, who lives in South Florida but is a citizen of the Dominican Republic, faces two counts of sexual battery on a minor.

According to an arrest report, both victims, ages 9 and 10, told authorities on July 1 that Beltres had raped them at his home in the 300 block of Northeast 118th Terrace.

Beltres is a pastor at the Columnas de Fuego Evangelical Church, where a few parishioners said on Friday night that they were standing by him.

"We want our pastor to know that we support him, that we are praying for him and that the church will  not stop because of what is happening," Rigoberto Pinelas, a church parishioner, said in Spanish."

World Magazine: Does approval from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability offer Christians useful information about an organization's financial discipline?

" ... SOME SCANDALS under ECFA's nose go back to the organization's early days. Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's PTL Club maintained its ECFA membership from 1981 through the end of 1986, even while Jim Bakker was committing the fraud that sent him to prison. Gary Tidwell's 1993 book Anatomy of a Fraud reported that ECFA sent a letter to Jim Bakker flagging concerns and telling Bakker not to use the ECFA seal on PTL materials—but the organization did anyway. ECFA terminated PTL's membership only after news outlets reported the scandal.

Some examples are more recent. In March 2014, ECFA revoked the membership of Teen Mania Ministries, a now defunct youth ministry. But as WORLD reported that year, by 2011 Teen Mania had net assets of −$4.1 million. The report detailed extravagant spending and questionable leadership. In December 2015, Teen Mania closed and filed for bankruptcy.

'Each dollar must be regarded as a sacred trust. ECFA will seek to insure that it does.' —Olan Hendrix, ECFA's first executive director

The recent and historical scandals raise the questions: How well does ECFA police its members? Did ECFA membership make wayward ministries more accountable? At least one church—Village Church of Barrington, near Chicago—dropped its ECFA membership because of the agency's failure to police Harvest Bible Chapel. Senior Pastor David Jones told Religion News Service this year his church sees ECFA membership as a "liability rather than an asset."

ECFA leaders from the beginning made the agency out as a Better Business Bureau (BBB) for Christian ministries. Both offer seals of approval. Both term their approvals as accreditation. Both have products meant to serve their accredited members. Both have sliding schedules of membership fees. But BBB examines members annually. It gives grades to its members, based on performance. It maintains a forum on its website for consumers to review businesses—positively or negatively. ECFA offers no such forum and wouldn't reveal specifics of its review of Harvest Bible Chapel."

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