The church manager of self-proclaimed messiah pastor Apollo Quiboloy in Hawaii was sentenced to 30 days in prison for lying about a suitcase that contained hidden cash found in the pastor’s private jet back in 2018.
In 2018, Felina Salinas was accused of smuggling more than $300,000 in cash from Hawaii to the Philippines.
US Department of Homeland Security officials said Salinas presented the currency report form to inspectors, declaring she had $ 40,000 and P1,000.
However, when officers opened the bag, they found 335,000 US dollars and 9,000 Australian dollars hidden in socks.
U.S. federal currency laws state that travelers have to declare money worth $ 10,000 or more. Salinas was temporarily released on a bail of $ 25,000.
Salinas was originally charged for smuggling the money but was reduced after pleading guilty to making a false statement.
“She had no idea what was in that luggage. She had no idea there was money in there. So I mean it went from currency smuggling to giving a false statement,” Attorney Michael Green said in the report.
Aside from imprisonment, Salinas would also pay a $500 fine.
Quiboloy’s church manager in Hawaii sentenced to 30 days in jail
Meanwhile, Pastor Quiboloy was never charged for the incident.
In 2019, a former follower of a megachurch, Pastor Quiboloy, threw new cash smuggling allegations against him and another church officer.
According to court documents, former church member Kristina Angeles witnessed Felina Salinas. Pastor Quiboloy ordered church members to smuggle hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars from California to the Philippines. The incident happened in 2013 and 2014, as per Rick Daysog’s report in HawaiiNewsNow.com.
Angeles claimed the pastor abused her when she was only 16 years old. She also believes that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ’s pastor was abusing other young women’s church members until now.
Quiboloy founded the ‘Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name’ in 1985. It claims to have six million followers worldwide. The sect’s main cathedral is in Davao City.
Quiboloy was one of Duterte’s strongest supporters during the presidential campaign. He even told his followers of a “prophecy” in which he saw an image of Duterte walking in the Malacañang Palace.