The United States has requested the extradition of Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, on multiple charges, including fraud and child sex trafficking. His organization has drawn large followings in the Philippines, the U.S. and other countries.
: Apollo Carreon Quiboloy (AP Photo via RNS / File)
Quiboloy, who has claimed to be the “appointed son of God,” is currently jailed in Pasig City, Manila, where he is being tried on charges of child abuse and human trafficking. The extradition request requires approval from two Philippine courts, The Associated Press reported. In the Philippines, a suspect’s trial generally must conclude — and any sentence be served — before extradition can occur. However, a 1994 extradition treaty between the United States and the Philippines allows Philippine justice officials to ask courts to temporarily surrender a suspect to a foreign court.
Malacañang Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a statement last week that the “request for the extradition … is a matter that must be deliberated upon, evaluated, assessed and resolved in due course to ensure the highest level of justice is served for the alleged victims here and in the U.S., as well as for the accused.”
In 2021, the U.S. charged Quiboloy with coercing women and underage girls into sex. He allegedly threatened that they would face “eternal damnation” if they didn’t comply. A subsequent indictment added charges of sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, marriage fraud, money laundering, cash smuggling, visa fraud and conspiracy — charges that placed him on the FBI’s most wanted list. At the time, Quiboloy was living in the Philippines.
Quiboloy served as a spiritual adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose term ended in June 2022. The Philippine government did not pursue Quiboloy until the succeeding administration and did not issue a warrant for his arrest until March 2024. He went into hiding and was not arrested until September 2024, following a two-week standoff between police and members of his ministry at his compound in Davao City.
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Several of the church’s leaders in the U.S. were arrested in 2020 on immigration fraud and financial fraud charges. In 2018, a Hawaii branch leader was arrested for smuggling cash overseas. Quiboloy was aboard the same plane at the time.
Duterte also faces serious charges of his own. He was arrested in Manila last year by Philippine police and Interpol and now awaits trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he will answer for alleged crimes against humanity, including the killing of large numbers of suspected drug offenders during his administration’s anti-drug crackdown. The ICC confirmed the charges against Duterte in April 2026, and his trial is scheduled to open Nov. 30, 2026.
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