New cash-smuggling allegation in Hawaii against Quiboloy and aide
Evangelist Apollo Quiboloy of Kingdom of Jesus Christ. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG MONTEGRANDE
HONOLULU – A former follower in Hawaii of Filipino megachurch leader Apollo Quiboloy lobbed new allegations of cash smuggling by a church officer and the pastor himself.
In recent court documents, federal prosecutors said former church member Kristina Angeles saw Quiboloy and Felina Salinas order church members to smuggle hundreds of thousands of dollars from California to the Philippines on two separate occasions in 2013 and 2014, according to HawaiiNewsNow.com report by Rick Daysog.
Salinas, a Hawaii manager for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church, was indicted last year for trying to smuggle more than $300,000 in cash from Hawaii to the Philippines on the private jet of church founder Quiboloy.
Former Quiboloy church member Kristina Angeles, who has been charged with sexual abuse of a minor, in turn accused Quiboloy of sexually assaulting her when she was 16. FACEBOOK
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Albanese charged that church members hid U.S. dollars in socks and put them in a suitcase which was transported to the Philippines. The cash was not declared to U.S. authorities, a violation of federal currency laws.
But Salinas’ attorney Michael Green said Angeles has given conflicting accounts of how much money had been allegedly smuggled by church officials. Angeles also has been accused of sexually abusing a minor.
But the federal prosecutor presented text messages that may indicate the charges against Angeles are based on perjured testimony from the mother of the alleged victim, both church members.
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One of the text messages shows Salinas urging the victim’s mother to prosecute Angeles.
“Please sis do something … everything in your power to speed this up … Please deport her ASAP,” Salinas’ text said.
In her text response, the mother appears to acknowledge she gave false testimony: “I cannot sleep thinking I have to lie in federal court … I have never done that ever in my life,” the woman wrote.
Sources said the church’s North America operations make more than $3 million a year from tithes and offerings. In court filings last month, Angeles’ lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Lesley Maloian, wrote that church members also beg for donations on Oahu’s streets and sell Krispy Kreme donuts, manapua and bread, according to HawaiiNewsNow.
Angeles, who became part of Quiboloy’s inner circle, also claims that the pastor sexually abused her when she was 16 and that she believes he is abusing other young women church members as well.
