Apollo Quiboloy’s cases in the United States have not yet been dismissed

The news story cited in support of the claim is not about Quiboloy, but about Marissa Duenas, who recently reached a plea deal in the US.

Claim: The human trafficking, forced labor and money laundering cases of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) in the United States have already been dismissed.

Rating: FALSE

Why we checked this: The claim can be found in an October 10 post on the X account of user “jcco” (@Jjcruz2). The post reads: ‘HILAW NGA‘ (it’s raw) #Fast | Pastor Quiboloy’s Human Trafficking, Forced Labor and Money Laundering Case in the US Dismissed.” He cites an October 10 post from the official SMNI News X account stating that a US court dismissed trafficking cases of people, forced labor and money laundering against a KOJC leader.

At the time of writing, the post has 178 comments, 54 reposts, 215 likes, 6 bookmarks, and about 46,400 views.

The facts: Quiboloy’s cases in the US have not yet been dismissed. The SMNI News post shared on post X by “jcco” referred to a KOJC leader, but not Quiboloy. Instead, it was Marissa Duenas, one of Quiboloy’s co-defendants in some of his cases, as referenced in the October 10 X publications and an online SMNI News article.

Dueñas signed a plea deal on October 7 in the US; he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the US government in exchange for a reduced sentence. She has been identified as an “administrator of KOJC operations and a human resources manager in the US,” an earlier Rappler report said.

Assistant Secretary and Department of Justice spokesman Jose Dominic Claviano IV said Duenas’ plea agreement led the U.S. attorney to “dismiss only the charges against her” and that the cases against Quiboloy and other defendants are still ongoing.

Still on the FBI’s Most Wanted List: The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) still lists Quiboloy among its “MOST WANTED” for the following crimes: “conspiracy to engage in forced sex trafficking, fraud and coercion and child sex trafficking; forced sex trafficking , fraud and coercion; and bulk cash smuggling”.

ALSO IN RAPPLER

Previous Related Fact Checks: Rappler has published multiple fact checks on claims about Quiboloy. Aside from the claims about the charges against him or his status relative to those charges, some of the more peculiar ones include claims about his death and fired Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo was allegedly pregnant with his child. – Percival Bueser/ Rappler.com

Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s Fact-Checking Mentoring Program. This fact-check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s investigative team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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