How did a popular Philippine televangelist land on the FBI’s most-wanted list?

In his heyday, Apollo Carreon Quiboloy was one of the most influential religious leaders and televangelists in the Philippines. Proclaiming himself as the “appointed son of God,” he also was a political kingmaker who backed former president Rodrigo Duterte.

An expanded U.S. indictment in 2021 charged him with having sex with women and underage girls and sex trafficking by force, among other crimes. He's facing similar criminal complaints in the Philippines, where he went into hiding this year.

Surrounded by heavily armed police, the 74-year-old preacher and four co-accused surrendered Sunday in his religious stronghold in the south. They were presented Monday to the press in orange detainee shirts and face covers with top officials warning on nationwide TV that “no one is above the law."

Here’s what we know about Quiboloy:

According to most accounts, Quiboloy's preaching started to gain attention in 1985, when he founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, which would later claim to have six million mostly Filipino members in about 200 countries, including in the United States. Not much is known about how Quiboloy managed to raise the funds to build his empire, which included what many regarded as his real kingdom in Davao — a 30-hectare (75-acre) complex with a cathedral, a huge stadium and an aircraft hangar with a taxiway leading to Davao’s international airport. He founded a TV and radio network and religious charities in the Philippines and abroad that helped build his image as a popular televangelist.

According to the U.S. indictment, Quiboloy also maintained large residences in California, Las Vegas and Hawaii.

At the peak of his influence, aspirants would fly to Davao to seek his electoral endorsement. In the 2016 presidential elections, Quiboloy backed Duterte, his close friend whom he also served as a spiritual adviser. Duterte had appeared at times with Quiboloy on the religious leader’s TV and radio programs, where the then-president openly talked about his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs.

The killings of thousands of mostly poor drug suspects under Duterte’s administration have been condemned by western governments and human rights groups