Many believe he was sent by God to preach to them and are convinced he is innocent, despite his guilty plea. However, his wife Alma Zamora de Joaqun, with whom hed tied the knot in 1992, reportedly does not enjoy the same status in any of the 50+ countries wherein the church has a presence. "It is not sufficient to say 'I have converted' or "I have baptized'" she said. World Crime Sexual abuse. It accuses Joaqun Garca of conditioning victims, under the guise of religion, to serve him above all else, ultimately resulting in the sexual abuse over the course of several years. Despite the vast publicity and lurid charges, Garcia had maintained almost universal support within the church. According to VICE, the 53-year-old was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in June 2019. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? 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. But criminal attorney Fred Thiagarajah,who at various points was involved on both sides of the case, noted the reality waiting for Garcain prison will likely be a stark awakening for the self-described Apostle, if not his followers. Judge Ronald Coens harsh view of Garcafollowed hours of emotional and graphic testimony in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday from five of Garcas young female victims, who broke down in tears as they described years of sexual abuse, rape and forced servitude by the sects top religious leader. Prosecutors said that the crimes dated back to at least 2015. In 2014, he succeeded his father as the new leader AKA the Apostle of the La Luz del Mundo. In addition to his prison time, Garcia is expected to be ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Gen. Both father and son have been accused of using the churchs young members as sexual servants, of leading lavish lifestyles on the backs of their followers and of intimidating church members into silence and submission. Posted on 26 Feb in greenshield pharmacy intervention codes. This, as explained at the time by the prosecutor in charge of the case, because there was a suspicion that his followers would seek to pay the fine. Defendants facing state criminal allegations are eligible for bail in most cases, allowing them to await future court dates out of police custody if they have the financial resources to post bail. She joined the newsroom in 2018 and spent several years working on the criminal justice team. [1], Joaqun Garca was born on May 7, 1969 in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, the fifth of seven children to Samuel Joaqun Flores and Eva Garca. Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of La Luz del Mundo church, in court in Los Angeles in 2020. They also alleged the church was involved in a lengthy cover-up of the sexual misconduct. [emailprotected]. The latter was the leader of the La Luz del Mundo church (translated to Church of the Living God), a non-trinitarian Christian organization founded in 1926. Oaxaca pleaded guilty to one count of assault likely to cause great bodily injury in June. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Azalea Rangel Melendez, who is currently at large. The bail to be able to leave is 50 million dollars, one of the highest in history. Held in jail on $90-million bail, Garcia faced charges ranging from human trafficking and rape to forcible oral copulation of a minor and possession of child pornography. Faithful attend a Santa Cena or Holy Supper service in the La Luz del Mundo or the Light of the World flagship temple in Guadalajara, Mexico, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. They go along with it because they think its a blessing. But she also thinks many church members including her 85-year-old grandmother will continue to believe in Garcias innocence. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. During services, the women sit to the right and men to the left. Only the rare defendant like Naasn Joaqun Garcia should be locked up before trial, and most should be released without money bail. Claudia Eunice Hernandez, a former member of the church who is in her early 30s and lives in Mexico City, said Garcias arrest in 2019 led some people to leave the church. This is not an organized religion, this is an organized institution of criminal activities thats been running for 96 years. LOS ANGELES, March 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We are shocked by the facts in the recent motion filed by defense attorney Alan Jackson on March 15 in the case regarding the Apostle of Jesus . Joaquin Garca is described as serious, fearsome and strong-willed by those who know him, but there is little public information about him before his rise to power. It should be reiterated that this religious entity, like its leader, has been surrounded by controversies, investigations and allegations: in December 2020, the Financial Intelligence Unit filed five complaints against it. Garcia has been in jail for nearly three years awaiting trial, since state prosecutors charged him with abusing girls who belonged to his Mexico-based megachurch. Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of La Luz del Mundo church, in court in Los Angeles in 2020. And theyre accepting that narrative that he had no choice, that he is innocent and this is all still some kind of farce.. ", In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bonda said: "While it will never undo the harm and trauma he caused as the leader of La Luz del Mundo, this sentence makes it crystal clear that abusersno matter who they arewill be held accountable. 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. ", "I worshipped my abuser," said a woman identified as Jane Doe 4 and said she was his niece. Garca, 53, received a sentence of 16 years and 8 months in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. Naasn Joaqun Garca may be released in December 2032 Dementia And Memory Loss Has Been Linked To This Common Pill. "Instead of protecting those innocent women, Naasn and the church fostered and then brutally preyed on their blind trust and allegiance in the 'Apostle'". A St. Paul, Minn., native, Jany studied communications at Mississippi State University. "Ministers, pastors and deacons have their same duties. International Director of the La Luz del Mundo Church, "Naasn Merar Joaqun Garca: El "apstol" del poder", "Es Naasn Joaqun Garca, nuevo lder de La Luz del Mundo", "La Luz del Mundo Church Leader Accused of Sex Crimes", "Leader of La Luz Del Mundo religious group arrested on suspicion of rape, child porn", "Sex abuse charges against La Luz del Mundo leader are the 'tip of the iceberg,' prosecutors say", "La Luz del Mundo church leader pleads guilty to sex abuse charges", "Mexican megachurch leader gets more than 16 years for abuse", "Child rape charges refiled against Mexican megachurch leader", https://www.paudal.com/2022/08/18/the-light-of-the-world-naason-joaquin-is-changed-from-jail-for-this-reason/, "Leader of Mexican Church Is Sentenced to 16 Years for Sex Crimes", "Naasn Joaqun Garca: quin es lder de La Luz del Mundo (biografa)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naasn_Joaqun_Garca&oldid=1135821281. Emailus. Since having carried out harassment of minors, touching and rape. First published on June 8, 2022 / 3:01 PM. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The California attorney generals office, which is handling the case, also had accused Garcia of coercing underlings to recruit young girls for him to sexually abuse. So, if youre interested in finding out about Naasns current whereabouts and how he was apprehended, heres what we know about the same! In September of the same year, he reportedly addressed his congregation via a phone call behind bars. "And for those family members that have abandoned you, shame! OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced securing a guilty plea and conviction against Naasn Joaqun Garca, the leader of La Luz del Mundo, for multiple felony counts of sexual assault involving three separate minors. Authorities have yet to locate the third woman, Azalea Rangel Melendez. Naason Joaquin Garcia was arrested in L.A. this past summer and charged with child sexual abuse and human trafficking. Their spiritual leader is behind bars in California after pleading guilty to sexually abusing minors. Most teachings translate into something quotidian. While Flores was never charged with a crime, Garcias arrest and the subsequent charges against him made international headlines. And theyre going to keep running with this as long as they possibly can until somebody puts a stop to it.. Todays conviction sends a clear message that sexual exploitation is never acceptable in California. Like other women in Hermosa Provincia, she wears dresses and skirts that are not form-fitting, eschews makeup and earrings and wears her hair long. While he initially did not enter a plea, he was held at a shocking $50 million bail, generating massive outrage among his followers against the legal authorities. Garcia leads the Light of the World Church, an evangelical-based faith which claims to have five million members in dozens of countries around the world. The church's doctrine is learned from the cradle. They have power, they have the money, she added. This biographical article about a Mexican religious figure is a stub. Spanning the main street is a sculpture spelling "innocent" in Spanish. He is currently charged on more than 30 counts, including possession of child pornography, human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors and extortion. 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. In pre-trial testimony California state agents said the young victims in the case known as Jane Does 1-5 , described Ocampos role as a handmaiden, women who were groomed and were sexually abused themselves before doing the same to other young women in the church. 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. Because his religious registry is against Mexican Law now that he has been sentenced, there is currently a petition to remove his name from both The Light of The World church (iglesia La Luz del Mundo) and the Levitical Fraternity (Fraternidad Levtico) in that country. One remains on the run, while another has agreed to testify against Garcia, saying she herself was abused. In addition, they accused the La Luz Del Mundo church of sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and gender violence, seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Naasn Joaqun Garcia -- the leader of La Luz del Mundo (Light of the World) -- was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty Friday to two counts of forcible oral. However, the five complainants, addressed as Jane Does in the court, were unhappy with the minimal sentences their aggressors received. 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. Period, said Attorney General Becerra. Earlier Friday, victims asked a judge to reject the plea deal or sentence the defendant to a far longer prison term. Today it claims a membership of more than 5 million in some 50 nations. [11], He is married to Alma Zamora, and they have three children: Adoram, Elda, Sibma. We must not turn a blind eye to sexual violence and trafficking in our state. Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. Nearly all closed their eyes. [6] On June 8, 2022, he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison. Furthermore, Susana and Alondra pled guilty to the charges against them. As the states chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Becerra is committed to combatting human trafficking and safeguarding the rights of trafficking survivors. "The apostle always shows determination to move forward," said Phares Ruiz, who traveled from El Salvador to attend the Holy Supper. The alleged crimes committed by Garcia occurred between 2015 and 2019. "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. The leader of a Mexico-based evangelical megachurch has been sentenced to over 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to three sex-related counts involving minors. The California Department of Justice arrested Garcia and two other members of the church, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo, in 2019. They allegedly were told that if they went against Garcias desires they were going against God. Joaqun Garca and his co-defendants allegedly committed these crimes between 2015 and 2018 while leading La Luz Del Mundo, an international religious organization headquartered in Mexico with reportedly over one million followers worldwide. Theyve always supported this pedophile, this rapist, this criminal, and who himself just confessed that he was a pedophile. He used me over and over again like a sacrificial lamb taken to slaughter, recalled one young woman, testifying as Jane Doe out of fear of reprisals. [8], He was transferred to North Kern State Prison for evaluations to determine his placement within the prison system. Joaqun Garca and his co-defendants allegedly 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. The man who leads a huge international church and calls himself the Apostle has now been abandoned for a second time by one of the women who allegedly groomed and recruited teenage girls from the church for him to sexually abuse. The investigation began in 2018, in part, because of information submitted to the California Department of Justice through the clergy abuse online complaint form. He's known to church members as Aarn - a result, he said, of God asking him to change his name. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. While its leader, Naasn Joaqun Garca, has been idolized by millions of followers as an apostle of God, he just pleaded guilty to child sex abuse charges in Los Angeles on June 3. "I did cry, because I was saying, 'God, deliver me from this, make this time pass quickly,'" Haifa said from Texas. March 21, 2022 17:02 ET | Source: The Light of the World. 0 . 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. Said parishioner Robert Pelegreen at the time: When David was going to fight Goliath, it looked like he was going to lose. 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. 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. In 2018, Attorney General Becerracharged the operators of Rainbow Bright, a California adult residential and childcare company, with 59 criminal counts for alleged human trafficking and other alleged labor-related violations. A lot of people have the expectation that once there was a guilty verdict, whether it be through trial, whether it be through pleading guilty, that loved ones and family members would wake up to the truth. Kellermeyer said his wife who earlier pled guilty was preparing to be the star witness at Garcas trial and was disappointed not to have the opportunity to testifyhaving hoped to reach dedicated church members, like her own parents, still in the church who refuse to believe that Garca is guilty. I said She was only 14 and you replied I should have brought her to you sooner., In pronouncing his sentence, the judge criticized those who had turned their backs on the victims, saying Shame, shame on you., But none of that seemed to deter his followers and church leaders who claimed the prosecutions evidence was doctored and altered, as they reiterated their support for the man they call their Apostle. A statement from church leaders following the sentencing stated our confidence in him remains intact, comparing his prosecution to a path that God has placed in front of him for a reason, as he did for Apostle Paul.. Not just that, the complaint detailed how the victims were reportedly forced to perform sexual acts and dances in minimal clothing for their Apostle. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday. Another neighborhood resident, Sailem Castillo, also said she was upbeat despite Joaqun Garca's imprisonment. After the court determined he was a flight risk, Garcia's been held without . Just on March 21, the Church of the Light of the World demanded Nahson's immediate release, after his defense filed a motion claiming that the California Prosecutor's Office conducted incriminating evidence against him. Crimes like those alleged in this complaint have no place in our society. 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. 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. Joaqun Garca, 53, was arrested in 2019 in California. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. 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