MANILA, Philippines – One of the co-defendants in the U.S. trafficking case involving Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ has reached a plea agreement.

Court documents reveal that Marissa Duenas, the human resources manager at KOJC in Van Nuys, agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge for defrauding the United States in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Duenas admitted that she and others conspired to commit marriage fraud between 2015 and 2020. Reports indicate that she arranged marriages for specific KOJC workers, allowing them to stay in the U.S. while evading immigration laws.

“At defendant’s direction, defendant’s co-conspirators caused more than 25 but fewer than 100 I-130 Petitions for Alien Relative and related paperwork on behalf of KOJC members to be submitted to the U.S. government, knowing that the marriages referenced in those petitions were fraudulent and that they were arranged for purposes of securing favorable immigration status for the beneficiary,” the plea agreement states.

Duenas and her lawyer, John Littrell, signed the plea agreement on Monday in the U.S. However, a date for Duenas’ plea agreement hearing has not yet been set.

Senator Seeks to Invite Co-Defendant to Senate Hearing

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros plans to invite Duenas to the next Senate public hearing on Quiboloy’s human trafficking case in the United States.

“As chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, I also hope that Ms. Duenas—given her position in KOJC—would be open to participating in our continuing investigation on the various allegations of abuses and criminal acts by Quiboloy,” Hontiveros said in a statement Thursday.

Hontiveros emphasized that Duenas had taken a “significant step towards securing accountability” for Quiboloy’s alleged sexual assault and qualified human trafficking, among other crimes.

“Sana ay pakinggan nila ang kanilang konsensya, at isiwalat na ang buong katotohanan at ang lahat ng kanilang nalalaman,” Hontiveros said, urging the co-accused to cooperate with authorities to uncover the truth and achieve justice.

“Dapat managot si Apollo Quiboloy, at ang kanyang mga kasabwat, sa kanilang pang-aabuso sa kababaihan, kabataan, at iba pang bulnerableng miyembro ng lipunan,” the senator stressed.

Hontiveros also urged the Department of Justice to extend legal assistance to co-accused individuals who are willing to help secure justice for Quiboloy’s victims.

📷 PNP, Sen. Risa Hontiveros FB