Plea deal: KOJC officers also involved in student visa fraud in US
Credit to Author: Janvic Mateo| Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — Aside from facilitating sham marriages, some officers of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ also implemented a visa fraud scheme in the United States, where dozens of KOJC members were directed to apply for student visas to extend their stay.
The STAR obtained a copy of the plea agreement of the US Attorney’s Office with Amanda Estopare, a KOJC administrator who was in charge of tracking and reporting the money raised in the US to KOJC officials in the Philippines.
In the agreement, which Estopare signed on Oct. 24, the KOJC officer admitted to being part of a conspiracy “to have certain KOJC workers, who were previously recruited as KOJC members from the Philippines, admitted into the 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 the US to perform in church-related concerts, when in fact their primary purpose was to solicit donations.
“Defendant and her co-conspirators would seek to maintain United States immigration status for KOJC workers who proved capable of meeting the KOJC’s cash solicitation quotas by obtaining student visas for such KOJC workers, for the purpose of evading the immigration laws,” read the 17-page plea agreement.
“Defendant and her co-conspirators would pay the tuition for the 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 added.
According to the document, Estopare and her co-conspirators caused the submission of at least 25 but less than 100 fraudulent forms to US immigration authorities.
“(They know) that those forms contained false information regarding the purpose of the KOJC members’ enrollment at colleges, and that in reality, the purpose of extending or reinstating the KOJC members’ visitor status in the United States was to enable them to work soliciting funds for the KOJC,” read the plea agreement.
Estopare, along with co-accused Guia Cabactulan, entered into plea agreements with the US Attorney’s Office and admitted to being part of the visa fraud scheme.
In her separate plea agreement, a copy of which was also obtained by The STAR, Cabactulan admitted to facilitating sham marriages between KOJC members from the Philippines with those who are US citizens “for the purpose of evading immigration laws.”
“Defendant and her co-conspirators completed and filed fraudulent marriage paperwork on behalf of KOJC workers and arranged for the KOJC workers to be transported to a set location for a sham marriage ceremony,” the plea agreement with Cabactulan read.
“After the non-citizen spouse in such a sham marriage obtained LPR (lawful permanent resident) status in the United States (and in some cases went on to become a naturalized US citizen), defendant and her co-conspirators would arrange for the couple to divorce to enable further fraudulent marriages that could support US permanent residency for still other non-citizen KOJC workers,” it added.
Cabactulan confirmed being part of the scheme that facilitated fraudulent visas for at least 25 but less than 100 members.
In exchange for agreeing to plead guilty to the visa fraud scheme, US authorities will move to dismiss the other charges against Estopare and Cabactulan.
Based on their plea agreements, the two face a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of $250,000.
Estopare and Cabactulan were among the 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 the US, KOJC officer Marissa Duenas and paralegal Maria de Leon, also entered into plea agreements with the US Attorney’s Office.
Aside from Quiboloy, two others believed to be in the Philippines – Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag – are on the most wanted list of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.