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Plea bargain confirmed KOJC scam
By J.Lo
“Defendant and her co-conspirators would seek to maintain United States immigration status for KOJC workers who proved capable of meeting KOJC’s cash solicitation quotas by obtaining student visas for such KOJC workers, for purpose of evading immigration laws, ”aside from facilitating sham marriages, some officers of Kingdom of Jesus Christ also implemented visa fraud scheme in United States, where dozens of KOJC members were directed to apply for student visas to extend their stay.
Plea agreement of US Attorney’s Office with Amanda Estopare, KOJC administrator in charge of tracking and reporting money raised in e US to KOJC officials in the Philippines herself signed on Oct. 24, KOJC officer admitted to being part of conspiracy “to have certain KOJC workers, who were previously recruited as KOJC members from Philippines, admitted into United States by obtaining United States non-immigrant visas under false pretenses.”
Her plea agreement specifically detailed how, from 2015 to 2020, they instructed KOJC workers to tell US immigration officers that they were traveling to US to perform in church-related concerts, when in fact their primary purpose was to solicit donations.
“Defendant and her co-conspirators would pay tuition for KOJC workers on student visas, using funds drawn from KOJC bank accounts…as defendant knew, KOJC workers attended college approximately one day a week, but would otherwise spend their time soliciting money for KOJC,” it stressed.
According to document, Estopare and her co-conspirators caused submission of at least 25 but less than 100 fraudulent forms to US immigration authorities.
“They know that those forms contained false information regarding purpose of KOJC members’ enrollment at colleges, and that in reality, purpose of extending or reinstating KOJC members’ visitor status in the United States was to enable them to work soliciting funds for KOJC,” read the plea agreement.
Estopare, along with co-accused Guia Cabactulan, entered into plea agreements with US Attorney’s Office and admitted to being part of visa fraud scheme.
In her separate plea agreement, Cabactulan admitted to facilitating sham marriages between KOJC members from Philippines with those who are US citizens “for purpose of evading immigration laws.”
“Defendant and her co-conspirators completed and filed fraudulent marriage paperwork on behalf of KOJC workers and arranged for KOJC workers to be transported to set location for sham marriage ceremony, after non-citizen spouse in such sham marriage obtained LPR,lawful permanent resident status in United States and in some cases went on to become naturalized US citizen, defendant and her co-conspirators would arrange for couple to divorce to enable further fraudulent marriages that could support US permanent residency for still other non-citizen KOJC workers,” plea agreement with Cabactulan read.
Cabactulan confirmed being part of the scheme facilitated fraudulent visas for at least 25 but less than 100 members.
In exchange for agreeing to plead guilty to visa fraud scheme, US authorities will move to dismiss other charges against Estopare and Cabactulan.
Based on their plea agreements, two face maximum prison sentence of five years and fine of $250,000.
Estopare and Cabactulan were among nine charged over alleged labor and sex trafficking scheme involving KOJC members.
Among those indicted in the case was KOJC leader Apollo Quiboloy, who is currently detained in the Philippines for separate human trafficking and abuse charges.
Two others who were indicted in US, KOJC officer Marissa Duenas and paralegal Maria de Leon, also entered into plea agreements with US Attorney’s Office.
Aside from Quiboloy, two others believed to be in the Philippines Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag are on most wanted list of US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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