Filipino Pastor Wanted for Sex Trafficking Arrested in the Philippines
Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the founder and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church, was arrested in the Philippines on Sunday. He is wanted by federal authorities in the United States for his alleged role in a sex trafficking scheme.
The arrest was confirmed by Philippine Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos in a post on his official Facebook page. However, no details about the arrest or the circumstances surrounding it were provided.
Quiboloy has been on the run from charges related to sexual abuse and human trafficking in both the Philippines and the United States. In the U.S., he is on the FBI's most wanted list for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the country. He is accused of forcing these members to solicit donations for a bogus charity that funded church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.
American authorities have also accused Quiboloy and other church leaders of recruiting women to work as personal assistants, or "pastorals," who were forced to have sex with Quiboloy in a ritual they called "night duty." They were also forced to prepare his meals and clean his residences.
An indictment filed in U.S. district court in 2021 accused Quiboloy and two of his top administrators of coordinating a sex trafficking operation where young women and girls were coerced into having sex with the church's leader "under threats of 'eternal damnation.'" He was charged with conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children and bulk cash smuggling. A federal warrant was then issued for his arrest.
The Philippine government has long been calling for Quiboloy's surrender. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has also urged him to face the charges against him.