FACT CHECK: SMNI INCORRECTLY reports cases against KOJC manager

A report by Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) falsely stated that a United States court junked cases of human trafficking, forced labor and money laundering against Marissa Dueñas, human resources manager of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) in the U.S.

None of these charges applied to Dueñas, according to a 2021 superseding indictment against KOJC founder Apollo Quiboloy and eight other associates. She was charged with conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., fraud and misuse of visas and marriage fraud.

STATEMENT

The Oct. 10 news report by SMNI, a broadcast arm of the KOJC, said in part:

“Mabibigat na kasong human trafficking, forced labor, at money laundering ang ibinasura ng korte sa Amerika matapos pumasok sa isang plea bargaining agreement ang akusadong leader ng KOJC na si Marissa Dueñas…”

(A U.S. court junked serious charges of human trafficking, forced labor, and money laundering after the accused KOJC leader Marissa Dueñas entered a plea bargaining agreement…)

SMNI’s claim is based on a quote from lawyer Elvis Balayan, who represents Dueñas’ lawyers. Part of Balayan’s statement read:

“…sa pamamagitan po ng plea bargaining, pumayag ang mga abogado ng Estados Unidos na i-dismiss ‘yung mga napakabigat na krimen na isinampa laban sa kanya, kagaya ng forced labor, money laundering, human trafficking.”

(…through plea bargaining, lawyers in the United States agreed to dismiss the serious charges against [Dueñas], such as forced labor, money laundering, and human trafficking.)

Source: SMNI News – DZAR Manila 1026 AM Radio website, Korte sa Amerika, ibinasura ang kasong human trafficking, forced labor, money laundering vs KOJC leader (archive), Oct. 10, 2024

The erroneous SMNI report and its AM radio web article version appeared three days after Dueñas pleaded guilty for conspiracy against the U.S. government on Oct. 7. Dueñas specifically admitted guilt in organizing sham marriages for KOJC to grant U.S. immigration status to its members.

“The plea agreement does not dismiss any charges,” Benjamin D. Lichtman, a U.S. assistant attorney involved in prosecuting the case against Quiboloy and his associates, told VERA Files Fact Check in an Oct. 25 email.

FACT

There are no cases of human trafficking, forced labor and money laundering against Dueñas in the U.S.

“Defendant Dueñas was not charged with any substantive counts of human trafficking, forced labor, or money laundering, although those were listed in the indictment as objects of the conspiracy count in which Defendant Dueñas and all of the other defendants were charged,” Lichtman said.

According to Lichtman, the U.S. government agreed to dismiss the other charges against Dueñas upon her sentencing – but only if she does not breach the plea agreement.

As of Oct. 28, SMNI’s Facebook post garnered a total of 3,240 reactions, 618 comments, and 76,000 plays, while the article on SMNI’ DZAR 1026 AM Radio website garnered 1,700 views on FB.

(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)