Please consult with a translator for accuracy if you are relying on the translation or are using this site for official business. After Fridays unexpected plea, he will instead face sentencing Wednesday. One remains on the run, while another has agreed to testify against Garcia, saying she herself was abused. 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. Sochil further alleged that her aunt and a foster mother groomed and coerced her into forcibly serving the church leaders. A California appeals court ordered the . Garcia is said to have coerced girls in his congregation to engage in various sex acts over the years. The arrests were the result of a joint effort between the California Department of Justice and a number of law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Los Angeles Airport Police. It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. Biblical verses are cited to explain behavior. Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of La Luz del Mundo church, in court in Los Angeles in 2020. Thus, the Church of Light assured that based on the motion submitted it is clear that his constitutional rights have been unjustly violated, putting this as the main reason why he should be released. Another codefendant, Susana Medina Oaxaca, who was Garcias former assistant, pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of assault likely to cause great bodily injury, Bontas office said. This biographical article about a Mexican religious figure is a stub. The church contended that prosecutors withheld or doctored evidence, and said Joaqun Garca pleaded guilty because he didn't think he could get a fair trial. Ocampo has been held in custody for more than a year since her arrest with Garcia on his private jet at the Los Angeles airport by California law enforcement. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Libor Jany covers the Los Angeles Police Department. La Luz del Mundo is sometimes described as evangelical, but its members do not embrace this term. Since Joaqun Garca's arrest, La Luz del Mundo's media relations team says it cannot make official statements on his case because litigation is ongoing. "He's firm in his convictions, and the church is firm as well in its purpose of moving forward.". Offenders and people accused of molesting children always have a difficult time in prison. Said parishioner Robert Pelegreen at the time: When David was going to fight Goliath, it looked like he was going to lose. Read More: Where is Naasn Joaqun Garcia Now? "He used me over and over again like a sacrificial lamb taken to slaughter. Authorities have yet to locate the third woman, Azalea Rangel Melendez. CBS News Los Angeles: The Rundown (June 8 AM Edition). Only in September 2020 did the man plead not guilty to the crimes charged against him. Theyve always supported this pedophile, this rapist, this criminal, and who himself just confessed that he was a pedophile. And theyre going to keep running with this as long as they possibly can until somebody puts a stop to it.. Church member Alondra Ocampo was expected to testify against him. Despite the vast publicity and lurid charges, Garcia had maintained almost universal support within the church. Jericho, Bethlehem and Nazareth are among the names of roads converging on the white temple that locals call "the cake," for its white tiers that diminish in size as they rise upward. Outraged by what they saw as a lenient sentence for La Luz del Mundo leader Naason Joaquin Garcia, a group is urging other victims to speak out. Another neighborhood resident, Sailem Castillo, also said she was upbeat despite Joaqun Garca's imprisonment. A megachurch has defended its leader after he was sentenced to more than 16 years in a California prison for sexually abusing girls in his congregation. 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. The lawsuit includes detailed accounts from the five plaintiffs alleging that they were pressured by Joaqun Garca and his associates into performing for pornographic photo shoots, and were forced to engage in sex acts with him. Speaking on a podcast called "I Left a Sect," Lo-ami Salazar said Hermosa Provincia used to be her "happy place.". Garcia, he said, abused his authority to take advantage of children, while relying on his underlings to groom congregants for the purposes of sexual assault., Todays conviction can never undo the harm, Bonta declared, but it will help protect future generations.. Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. It is Mexicos largest evangelical church and has branches in 50 countries, including churches in East and West Los Angeles. Joaqun Garca was held on $50 million bail, Ocampo on $25 million, and Oaxaca remained free on bail. She was provided by Mrs Ocampo, provided whipped cream, strawberries, lingerie, and the other girl would spray the whipped cream and strawberries on each other and then lick them off, said Special Agent Troy Holmes in court. Have a tip we should know? 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. Even as a California judge declared their leader a sexual predator, sentencing him to 16 years and eight months for sexual abuse of minors in his congregation, leaders of the Light of the World Church declared their faith in Naasn Joaqun Garca, known as The Apostle of Jesus Christ, to his five million followers. "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. The survivors had objected to the plea deal and said they had only found out about it at the last minute. [7], Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo were also charged. The religion is "very demanding," said Arlene M. Snchez-Walsh, a professor of religious studies at Azusa Pacific University, a Christian institution near Los Angeles. [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. LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The leader of a Mexico-based evangelical megachurch is due in a Los Angeles courtroom today to face sentencing following a deal with prosecutors last week in which he agreed to plead guilty to three sex counts involving minors. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. [12]. With dual nationality, he was in charge of the church in the United States and led congregations in California, Arizona and Texas. So, if youre interested in finding out about Naasns current whereabouts and how he was apprehended, heres what we know about the same! Naason Joaqun Garcia was arrested at the airport in Los Angeles, California, in June 2019. The church says it has congregations in all 50 American states. 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. They bless the bread, the wine, and do other things as if he were here, although physically he is not.". . To gasps of surprise, Joaqun Garca addressed the congregation by telephone from his Los Angeles prison, where he is serving a 16-year sentence. Read More: How Did Samuel Joaqun Flores Die? Earlier in 2020, a former La Luz Del Mundo church member, Sochil Martin, sued the church and its leaders. Ocampo is the second woman from Garcias inner circle to turn against him. Wednesday, June 8, 2022 Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a statement on the nearly 17-year prison sentence imposed by the court for Naasn Joaqun Garca, the leader of La Luz del Mundo. [8], He was transferred to North Kern State Prison for evaluations to determine his placement within the prison system. 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. 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? 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. 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. "And for those family members that have abandoned you, shame! The other individuals named in the complaint are Alondra Ocampo, Azalea Rangel Melendez, and Susana Medina Oaxaca, all of whom are affiliated with La Luz Del Mundo. Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov, State of California Department of Justice, Consumer Protection and Economic Opportunity, California Justice Information Services (CJIS), helped bring downthe worlds largest online brothel, push for the passage of the federal Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, Attorney General Becerra Announces Arrest of Naasn Joaqu. We must not turn a blind eye to sexual violence and trafficking in our state. [emailprotected]. [2], He continues to be named as Legal Representative of the church in Mexico in spite of having been convicted of child sex crimes. "The church weaponized the faith of their most vulnerable members," said Jonati Joey Yedidsion, one of the lawyers handling the lawsuit. 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.. First published on June 8, 2022 / 3:01 PM. [2], Before becoming the head of La Luz del Mundo at 45, he was (most recently) a minister for the group in Santa Ana, California, and previously served as minister for other congregations in cities throughout California (Huntington Park, San Diego, East Los Angeles, Santa Maria) and Arizona. Moreover, if they denied or hesitated, they were blackmailed by being told how they were defying Gods will. Yet, despite the charges against Naasn, his followers and the La Luz del Mundo continued supporting him and believing his claims of innocence. / KCAL News. 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 copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15 years old. As a documentary series that lives up to its title in every way imaginable, HBOs Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo can only be described as equal parts gripping, riveting, as well as haunting. 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. Garcawho took over as "apostle" after his father, Samuel Joaqun Flores, died in 2014had been subjected to a prosecution where evidence was "suppressed, withheld, doctored and altered," the statement said. They described him as "evil," a "monster," "disgusting human waste" and the "Antichrist. Nevertheless, there are former members who say their ceremony was not optional. This was all Naasons doing.. She said she does not think the plea deal will result in a total crisis for the institution.. LOS ANGELES (RNS) Naasn Joaqun Garca, the leader of La Luz del Mundo, is facing a new lawsuit filed by five women who allege he sexually abused them while other church members groomed . Alma was seemingly always well respected but just not as popular, especially considering her position and the fact theres little to absolutely no information available on her on any public platform. The state of California refiled charges against Megachurch leader Naasn Joaqun Garca last week for child rape and human trafficking. Naason Joaquin Garcia, the church's leader, a man considered by congregants an apostle of Jesus Christ, had just been sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison for committing acts of sexual abuse . Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of La Luz del Mundo church, in court in Los Angeles in 2020. In a major set back for the defense of Nasson Joaquin Garcia, his co-defendant, Alondra Ocampo, has pleaded guilty to four felony counts involving the sexual abuse of minors and is now prepared to testify against him at trial in California. "I did cry, because I was saying, 'God, deliver me from this, make this time pass quickly,'" Haifa said from Texas. She was accused of grooming teenage girls for Garcias sexual pleasure. 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. Emailus. Most teachings translate into something quotidian. As of writing, the case is still being deliberated in a court of law. This is a man who has committed atrocities in the name of God, in the name of this church and everything is an excuse. 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. "Knowing that these abuses took place there, in my happy place, in my safe place, is horrible," she said. As the states chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Becerra is committed to combatting human trafficking and safeguarding the rights of trafficking survivors. Im sure hell survive but I doubt it will be happy. 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. Naason Joaquin Garcia, the leader of the La Luz del Mundo, Spanish for The Light of the World, appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court, on June 5, 2019. 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