Smuggled money belongs to founder of Philippine-based megachurch

The hundreds of thousands of dollars a Hawaii representative of a Philippine-based megachurch is accused of trying to smuggle to the Philippines aboard a private jet belongs to the church founder and longtime friend of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, according to an indictment a federal grand jury returned Thursday.

The indictment charges Felina S. Salinas with bulk cash smuggling for failing to report that she was carrying $335,000 in U.S. currency and $9,000 in Australian dollars in February. The indictment also charges Salinas with helping Apollo Quiboloy avoid arrest and prosecution.

Quiboloy founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name in Davao City, Philippines, in 1985. The church claims to have millions of followers worldwide, its own global television channel, 17 radio stations and two newspapers. Quiboloy’s friendship with Duterte dates back to when the Philippine president was mayor of Davao City.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Salinas at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Feb. 13 for failing to report all amounts of cash over $10,000 in her possession. Federal investigators from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security say Salinas declared that she was carrying $40,000 in U.S. currency and 1,000 Philippine pesos, worth about $20, but was found to have much more than that in her carry-on bag.

Defense lawyer Michael Green says he will ask the court to throw out Salinas’ statement claiming the bag as hers.

“They should have Mirandized her before asking her,” Green said.

Law enforcement officers are required to warn suspects before interrogating them that what they say can be used against them.

Federal investigators say Salinas was among four passengers and two crew members aboard a Cessna Citation Sovereign that Customs and Border Protection officers boarded for outbound inspection. During the inspection the crew members and passengers waited in a flight support lounge.

Authorities impounded the leased aircraft following Salinas’ arrest but later released it to its owner, Textron Aviation Finance Corp. According to the aircraft’s flight records, it arrived in Honolulu on Feb. 7 from Van Nuys, Calif., where KJC’s U.S. headquarters are located.

Church representatives have refused to say whether Quiboloy was one of the other passengers. Green says he was.

KJC says Quiboloy had not violated any U.S. law, was never detained and was back in the Philippines following Salinas’ arrest.

According to state records, Salinas was the Hawaii agent of KJC when she registered the church in December 2013 as a foreign nonprofit corporation. KJC’s business address is an office in Waipahu. Salinas listed her address as a million-dollar home the church owns in a gated community in Makakilo.