CONTROVERSIAL Davao City-based preacher Apollo Quiboloy and his associates face potential life sentences in the United States as they are charged with sex trafficking, marriage fraud, cash smuggling, and other federal offenses.

Five federal prosecutors and multiple U.S. agencies have collaborated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to build a case against Quiboloy and his co-defendants, with the sex trafficking conspiracy alone carrying a statutory maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The other defendants are Teresita Tolibas Dandan, Helen Panilag, Felina Salinas, Guia Cabactulan, Marissa Duenas, Amanda Estopare, Bettina Padilla Roces, and Maria De Leon. At least three of the defendants—Salinas, Roces, and De Leon—were arrested on Nov. 18, 2021, the same day the 42-count superseding indictment was unsealed.

Quiboloy, meanwhile, remains at large, reportedly hiding in the Philippines, despite the FBI releasing a “most wanted” poster for him last year.

Based on information released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California, there were five substantive sex trafficking charges against Quiboloy’s group, each carrying a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a potential life sentence.

Each of the other charges in the indictment such as additional fraud, cash smuggling, and money laundering offenses carries statutory maximum penalties ranging from five to 20 years of imprisonment.

However, those maximum terms of imprisonment are guidelines, and ultimately, each count’s maximum sentence is up to the discretion of the judge presiding over the case.

U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter Jr. has rescheduled the trial date for Quiboloy’s group from March 19, 2024, to November 5, 2024.

This change followed a stipulation filed by U.S. prosecutors and five defendants, citing the complexity of the case under the Speedy Trial Act.

The court emphasized the unusual and intricate nature of the prosecution, acknowledging the need for additional time.

The defendants were instructed to appear in Courtroom 9B of the Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles on November 5, 2024, at 10 a.m.

The prosecution panel includes Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel H. Ahn, Jake D. Nare, Benjamin D. Lichtman, and Angela C. Makabali, with additional support from U.S. Attorney Katharine Schonbachler of the Asset Forfeiture Section.

Four agencies—Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Unit, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation—have teamed up with the FBI to bolster the cases against Quiboloy’s group.

Quiboloy had earlier dismissed the accusations as fabricated and claimed religious and political persecution.

He also challenged the U.S. government to disclose all evidence against him, asserting that he is “bulletproof.”