Philippine church leader charged with child sex trafficking

By ROBERT JABLON
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The leader of a Philippines-based church has been charged with having sex with underage girls who faced threats of “eternal damnation” unless they catered to the self-proclaimed “son of God.” An indictment unsealed Thursday in Southern California names Apollo Carreon Quiboloy and eight church administrators. It also accuses them of running a scam that brought church members into the U.S. through phony visas and sham marriages to solicit money for a children’s charity that actually funded Quiboloy’s lavish lifestyle. Quiboloy leads the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, which claims 6 million members in 200 countries. A statement posted on his group’s website says that it is ready to face “whatever is hurled against pastor Quiboloy and the kingdom leaders.”