Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. - Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau.
MANILA: The United States government is seeking the extradition of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy.
In a text message to the Inquirer, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez confirmed that the US government sent documents pertaining to Quiboloy’s extradition to the Department of Justice.
“I’m confirming documents sent to [the] DOJ,” Romualdez said.
“Documents pertaining to the extradition request [were] sent to the DOJ,” he added.
According to Romualdez, the US government has been seeking Quiboloy’s extradition since June.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, meanwhile, declined to comment on the matter, referring media queries to the DOJ instead.
Quiboloy, founder of the Philippines-based church Kingdom of Jesus Christ, is wanted for his alleged involvement in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States via fraudulently obtained visas.
Members were allegedly forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity. The funds were reportedly used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation said members who successfully solicited donations were allegedly compelled to enter sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue fundraising in the US year-round.
Female members of Quiboloy’s church were also reportedly recruited to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” for Quiboloy.
Victims were tasked with preparing his meals, cleaning his residences, giving him massages, and, allegedly, performing sexual acts with Quiboloy during what the pastorals called “night duty.”
Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, on charges including conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for him on November 10, 2021.
He is currently detained at the Pasig City Jail, having been arrested at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City after months of hiding. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
