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Woman admits role in fraudulent scheme linked to Kingdom of Jesus Christ members, says US gov’t

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ABS-CBN News

Maria de Leon, a Los Angeles paralegal, agreed to plead guilty to participating in a scheme with administrators of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, the US Justice Department said in a statement on its <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/los-angeles-paralegal-admits-role-scheme-fraudulently-obtain-legal-us-residency-members" target="_blank">website</a> Friday.DeLeon is one of nine people – including Pastor Apollo Quiboloy – who have been accused of running a labor-trafficking ring to bring church members to work allegedly in a bogus charity organization that allegedly funded the Pastor’s lavish lifestyle.Quiboloy founded Kingdom of Jesus Christ.In a plea agreement filed on Friday, De Leon “admitted to participating for about eight years in the conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and visa fraud with the leaders of the KOJC,” the statement added.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/19/21/us-announces-sex-trafficking-charges-vs-apollo-quiboloy">Apollo Quiboloy, founder of Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, indicted for sex trafficking</a></li></ul>According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California, De Leon agreed to plead “guilty to participating in a conspiracy to violate US immigration laws by preparing and filing fraudulent documents that sought legal permanent residency and citizenship for members of a Philippines-based church who allegedly worked as fundraisers for a bogus charity operated by the church.”“At the time [De Leon] completed the immigration paperwork for certain KOJC members, [she] knew that the immigration paperwork was based upon false representations of the bona fides of the underlying marriages,&quot; the statement added. The court will schedule a hearing for De Leon where she will formally enter her guilty plea to the conspiracy count which carries a five-year federal prison sentence. She has also agreed to cooperate with the US government in the case.The hearing for the other 5 defendants will be scheduled on March 21, 2023 year, the US justice department said.The American agency has declined to comment further on this development when reached by ABS-CBN News.<div>KOJC: DE LEON NOT A CHURCH MEMBER </div>Meanwhile, Kingdom of Jesus Christ lawyer Michael Green said De Leon was not a church member,.Green added that the church was not threatened by the paralegal&#x27;s cooperation with US authorities. “This woman is not a member, she’s not a mean person she got sucked into the indictment, but she knows less than anybody in the case and she apparently knows less than the US attorney’s office. Like I said the US attorney’s office never indicted the children’s charity foundation,” Green said in an interview.Because she is not a member of Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the lawyer feared that she would “admit to things that she did for fraudulent purpose.”“They picked out someone that probably shouldn’t have been indicted anyway ... and it wasn’t for a fraudulent purpose, she may believe it was and what she was charged with and not the way it turned out,” he said. “In my view it was something that she probably isn’t guilty of. She may believe she’s guilty, maybe somebody talked her into it, but she doesn’t know the basis of the church and what the vows are.”Quiboloy, meanwhile, was accused of coercing women and young girls to have sex with him. The women and girls were supposedly required to prepare Quiboloy&#x27;s meals, clean his residences, give him massages, and have sex with him during what was called &quot;night duty&quot;. In February, the Davao-based pastor was placed under the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/05/22/quiboloy-placed-on-fbis-most-wanted-list" target="_blank">“most wanted” list</a>. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/05/22/dojs-guevarra-no-request-yet-to-extradite-quiboloy">DOJ’s Guevarra: No request yet from US gov’t to extradite Quiboloy</a></li></ul>Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier said his agency has yet to receive any request to extradite him. The Bureau of Immigration last month also said there was no word yet on the request.Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed &quot;Owner of the Universe&quot; and &quot;Appointed Son of God,&quot; is followed by millions of Filipinos.Just recently, he had an interview with Duterte about the upcoming elections and the legacy he would leave to Filipinos. DOJ urged victims to coordinate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report with them if they have any information about KOJC&#x27;s activities and reach them at (310) 477-6565 or at <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/tips" target="_blank">https://www.fbi.gov/tips</a>. <div>— With reports from Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN News</div><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/28/21/persecuted-quiboloy-warns-of-germs-worse-than-omicron">Quiboloy says his &#x27;persecution&#x27; will lead to diseases &#x27;worse than Omicron&#x27;</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1985009" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Maria de Leon agreed to plead guilty to participating in a scheme with administrators of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, the US Justice Department said in a statement on Friday.