Felina Salinas, a follower of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy, seen here in a 2015 interview with Kababayan Weekly, a daily talk show about Filipinos in the US. Videograb from Youtube
HONOLULU, Hawaii— The Hawaii church manager of Filipino pastor Apollo Quiboloy's Kingdom of Jesus Christ was sentenced to 30 days in prison Monday for lying about a suitcase with hidden cash found in the preacher's flight back to the Philippines in 2018.
Felina Salinas, a US citizen, was also meted a $500 fine for failing to declare over $335,000 in cash found in a private jet that was to fly Quiboloy back to the Philippines on February 13, 2018.
Her charges were downgraded from cash smuggling after entering a deal with prosecutors in June, where she pleaded guilty to making a false statement.
Salinas was arrested a month after the stash was found hidden in socks inside a black bag aboard Quiboloy's jet. She had just declared carrying $25,000 and P1,000 in cash, but federal agents who inspected the plane found $335,000 and AUD $9,000 kept in a bag. They seized the cash.
Quiboloy, whose church is known to have 4 million followers in the Philippines and 2 million abroad, was never charged for the incident. Salinas claimed ownership of the suitcase, but authorities later found it belonged to the influential pastor.
Read more on Balitang America.
— reports from Lalaine Ignao, ABS-CBN News
Felina Salinas, Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Apollo Quiboloy, cash smuggling, Balitang America, Salinas prison