Joaqun Garca, 53, was arrested in 2019 in California. She will be sentenced at a later date. His plea deal came after five young womenonce devoted followers of the church founded by Garca's grandfather in Mexico nearly a century agotestified that he had made them his sex slaves. As the states chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Becerra is committed to combatting human trafficking and safeguarding the rights of trafficking survivors. Naasn was revered among his church community, but things came crashing down around 2019 when he and two of his associates, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo, came under the polices radar. Read More: Where is Naasn Joaqun Garcia Now? Former members of the Church stressed that Garcas relatively short sentence as a result of a plea deal with prosecutors means the 53-year-old could be back at the pulpit in 8-10 years. As per court documents, the complainants alleged he sexually abused one woman and three minors, also raping the woman and another child. Authorities continue to search for a fourth suspect, Azalea Rangel Melendez. Sochil further alleged that her aunt and a foster mother groomed and coerced her into forcibly serving the church leaders. After La Luz Del Mundo megachurch leader Naasn Joaqun Garca was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years and 8 months in prison, the Law&Crime Network's Brian Ross. Naason Joaqun Garcia was arrested at the airport in Los Angeles, California, in June 2019. Aarn's wife was the church's first member. Earlier in 2020, a former La Luz Del Mundo church member, Sochil Martin, sued the church and its leaders. She said she expects more will decide to leave because of the guilty plea. For some young people, these steps include memorizing songs honoring the apostle, reading the Bible before bed and not marrying someone from outside the church. Just days before his long-awaited trial was set to start, La Luz del Mundo leader Naason Joaquin Garcia pleaded guilty Friday to sexually abusing girls from his congregation, a stunning. #BREAKING: As the result of a multiyear investigation and prosecution led by CalDOJ, megachurch leader Naasn Joaqun Garca has pled guilty to multiple felony counts of sexual assault involving minors. They bless the bread, the wine, and do other things as if he were here, although physically he is not.". Los Angeles, A $150,000 executive protection dog? The decision by Ocampo followed weeks of testimony by California state agents about her role in delivering young women to Garcia for sexually deviant acts, many of which she recorded on video for him. He called Garca a sexual predator. Moreover, the eldest Joaqun child has even been quite active in the La Luz del Mundo congregation lately and could potentially be preparing to succeed his father. Its unclear whether the latters work involves him marketing a team or sponsoring them, but we do know he appears perfectly content at the moment. Todos Los Derechos Reservados 2021 Infobae, Lawyers of the leader of the Light of the World threatened witnesses from the United States and Mexico, I saw a criminal: Naasn Joaqun's assistant told how he lived 30 years with the former leader of La Luz del Mundo, There is already a date for the trial against Naasn Joaqun Garcia: The Light of the World awaits justice for the Apostle of Jesus Christ. ode to the vampire mother results; national asset mortgage lawsuit; green tuna paper; mary davis sos band net worth Theyre still using this power they have to manipulate, use and control these people, Martin told the Law&Crime Networks Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross. Leila Miller is a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Mexico City. "The Apostle of Jesus Christ has had no choice but to accept with much pain that the agreement presented is the best way forward to protect the church and his family," the church said. Congregation members in the neighborhood call each other "brother" and "sister" and take pride in helping one another. Libor Jany covers the Los Angeles Police Department. Naasn Joaqun Garca may be released in December 2032 Aug. 21, 202200:24 La Luz del Mundo is a church that originated in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the 1950s and now has a presence in dozens of countries, including the United States. Ocampo pleaded guilty to three felony counts of contact with a minor for the purposes of committing a sexual offense and one count of forcible sexual penetration two years ago. Apart from Naasn, his mother, wife, brother, and children were named in the lawsuit for being aware of the abuse. While he maintained his innocence for three years, Garca has . Rob Bonta said in a news release issued late Friday afternoon. In exchange, prosecutors dropped 16 counts that included allegations of raping children and women, as well as human trafficking to produce child pornography. In addition to his prison time, Garcia is expected to be ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Many organization leaders, including Susana and Alondra, were accused of being the perpetrators. "And for those family members that have abandoned you, shame! [12]. La Luz del Mundo is sometimes described as evangelical, but its members do not embrace this term. In other new developments in the pre-trial hearings this week, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, citing insufficient evidence, dismissed four counts of extortion and two counts of forcible rape of a minor and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor against Garcia, a move that was declared a victory by the Apostles supporters. "Knowing that these abuses took place there, in my happy place, in my safe place, is horrible," she said. ", Garca "will continue ministering to the church," the statement said. Many lifted their fists. And unfortunately, I see a lot of lamentations of family and family members that are out online saying that they feel very sad, he said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. She has pleaded guilty to four counts as part of a deal in 2020. Ocampo requested that Jane Doe number one send her nude photos of herself because the servant of god who is defendant Garcia, would be really happy, said special agent Thomas Donohue in court. Garcia coerced victims into performing sexual acts by telling them that if they went against any of his desires or wishes as the Apostle, that they were going against God, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said at the time of the arrest. https://t.co/nTcxEFtidU. Emailus. March 21, 2022 17:02 ET | Source: The Light of the World. Kriti Mehrotra December 6, 2022 As a documentary series that lives up to its title in every way imaginable, HBO's 'Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo' can only be described as equal parts gripping, riveting, as well as haunting. And theyre accepting that narrative that he had no choice, that he is innocent and this is all still some kind of farce.. The RICO suit names him, the organization called Light of the World, his mother, his wife, his brother, and many of the leaders of the organization. It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. Coming to his two sisters, Elda and Simba, aside from the fact the latter has ostensibly been married since 2013, we, unfortunately, do not know much about them in any manner. "The apostle always shows determination to move forward," said Phares Ruiz, who traveled from El Salvador to attend the Holy Supper. Christopher Kellermeyer, whose wife Alondra Ocampo was charged with being Garcas accomplice by acting as a groomer, said Garcas followers would not be easily persuaded of his guilt. HBOs Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo peeks behind the closed doors of the Mexican Christian megachurch La Luz Del Mundo and sheds light on the rampant sexual abuse faced by several minors by the church leaders. And theyre going to keep running with this as long as they possibly can until somebody puts a stop to it.. The Office of the Attorney General is unable to guarantee the accuracy of this translation and is therefore not liable for any inaccurate information resulting from the translation application tool. The news of the impending plea deal garnered a mixed reaction from a Reddit group that has become a refuge for former church members, some of whom have said they were abused. The revival consists of repeating "Glory to Christ" nonstop until the youths are heard speaking in tongues to testify that the Holy Spirit has entered them. Originally facing 36 charges, Garcia at the last minute took a plea deal that called for him to admit to three counts, the state attorney generals office announced Friday: two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15 years old. Thats because it charts not just the way the titular Mexican non-traditional Christian Church took advantage of minors for years but also the 2019 apprehension of leader Naasn Joaqun Garcia. CBS Los Angeles reportedthe California Department of Justice arrested Joaqun Garcia and two other members of the church, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo, in 2019. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty. Similar accusations emerged in September last year, so the trial ended up being rescheduled for May 2022. If you believe you have been a victim of sexual abuse or have information about incidents of sexual misconduct related to anyone who may be involved in this case, please call (323) 765-2100 or you can file a complaint online at https://oag.ca.gov/LLDM. 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A megachurch has defended its leader after he was sentenced to more than 16 years in a California prison for sexually abusing . The grandson of the church's founder, Garca maintained his innocence following his arrest but eventually pleaded guilty in June 2022 to two counts of forcible oral copulation on a minor and one. Garcia, charged with 23 counts of child sex abuse, is being held on $90 million bail; trial is scheduled for November. Prosecutors said Garca, who is considered the "apostle" of Jesus by the church's millions of followers, used his position to have sex with girls and young women in the congregation. June 8, 2022 / 3:01 PM Sochil Martin, a former La Luz del Mundo member who has filed a civil RICO suit against Garcaand LLDM alleging sexual abuse and other crimes, was highly critical of the plea deal, and compared the church to a mafia-type organization that would continue to operate despite Garcas imprisonment. Before joining the Los Angeles Times in 2022, he covered public safety for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Todays decision demonstrates, as we have always said, that the Apostle is innocent and his innocence will be judicially proven through the course of the trial a Church spokesperson said in a written statement to Brian Ross Investigates. "The Apostle of Jesus Christ has had no choice but to accept with much pain that the agreement presented is the best way forward to protect the church and his family," it continued, adding that he had wanted to spare the church and his family "weeks of unfounded public accusations" and threats. He is currently charged on more than 30 counts, including possession of child pornography, human. The alleged crimes committed by Garcia occurred between 2015 and 2019. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. "For us everything is very nice, everything continues to work," she said. However, this might merely pertain to his father rather than his wife or kids since neither of them has ever been indicted on such offenses. Some knelt and wept. "He's firm in his convictions, and the church is firm as well in its purpose of moving forward.". When he was arrested, many of the faithful flocked to churches in the denominations hometown of Guadalajara, but also in Los Angeles and other cities. Naasn Merar Joaqun Garca (born on May 7, 1969) is a Mexican religious leader and convicted child molester who is the third leader of the La Luz del Mundo church, succeeding his father, Samuel Joaqun Flores, in December 2014. naason joaquin garcia released naason joaquin garcia released. [11], He is married to Alma Zamora, and they have three children: Adoram, Elda, Sibma. Garca, 53, received a sentence of 16 years and 8 months in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. 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