Parents give biblical names to their children and take them to the temple at 40 days old to promise they will guide them to follow their path. Todays conviction sends a clear message that sexual exploitation is never acceptable in California. Sochil further alleged that her aunt and a foster mother groomed and coerced her into forcibly serving the church leaders. ", Garca "will continue ministering to the church," the statement said. 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. This included allegations of human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor, and other felonies. Garcia, charged with 23 counts of child sex abuse, is being held on $90 million bail; trial is scheduled for November. The attorney general of California, Xavier Becerra, has even said that he is a madman. The leader, of the Church of Light, today behind bars of a prison in California, is accused, along with three accomplices, of multiple crimes. Emailus. The church was founded in 1926 by Garcias grandfather, who was succeeded by Garcias father, Samuel Joaquin Flores. Where Are Naasn Joaqun Garcia's Wife and Kids Now? (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 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 . The state of California refiled charges against Megachurch leader Naasn Joaqun Garca last week for child rape and human trafficking. After several delays, Garcias trial was supposed to start with jury selection Monday before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen. They urged Judge Ronald Coen to impose a longer sentence, but he responded that his "hands are tied" by the agreement. She was also part of the team that was a 2020 Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of the Conception boat fire off the Channel Islands. We also claim so because it was recently reported that Naasns son Adoram acquired a massive mansion in Malibu, a highly affluent coastal community within Los Angeles. [3][4][5] Two days before his trial, Naasn Joaqun Garcia pleaded guilty to three charges related to sexually abusing children. "All this goes to show that although you are part of this world, you have accepted a very particular way of life because you are Christian," Snchez-Walsh said. "For us everything is very nice, everything continues to work," she said. So far he remains imprisoned in the United States. In 2014, he succeeded his father as the new leader AKA the Apostle of the La Luz del Mundo. This was all Naasons doing.. On June 3, 2019, Naasn, Susana, and Alondra landed in a private jet at the Los Angeles International Airport, where they were arrested. Aarn's wife was the church's first member. They bless the bread, the wine, and do other things as if he were here, although physically he is not.". Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. Not just that, the complaint detailed how the victims were reportedly forced to perform sexual acts and dances in minimal clothing for their Apostle. When the women tried to expose Garca, they found themselves isolated and shunned by the church community, including members of their own families. 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. Authorities have yet to locate the third woman, Azalea Rangel Melendez. 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. 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. I believe she [Ocampo] was brainwashed, said Martin. At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to stand up for survivors and fight back against abuse. He's known to church members as Aarn - a result, he said, of God asking him to change his name. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. Read More: Where is Naasn Joaqun Garcia Now? ", They spoke of how they had been manipulated and told they would be damned if they refused. 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. [emailprotected]. She said she expects more will decide to leave because of the guilty plea. 0 . The church's doctrine is learned from the cradle. On June 8, 2022, Naasn was convicted for the three charges and sentenced to 16 years and 8 months behind bars. A fourth defendant, Azalea Rangel Melendez, who was previously charged with rape, is still at-large. 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. He is currently charged on more than 30 counts, including possession of child pornography, human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors and extortion. June 8, 2022 / 3:01 PM Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. La Luz del Mundo dissidents seek more charges . Its always somebody elses fault.. SACRAMENTO California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced the arrest and filing of charges against Naasn Joaqun Garca (Joaqun Garca) and his co-defendants for alleged human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor, and other felonies. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 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. CBS News Los Angeles: The Rundown (June 8 AM Edition). He called Garca a sexual predator. Rob Bonta said in a news release issued late Friday afternoon. Period, said Attorney General Becerra. 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. 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. And NOW is the time to stand up and fight.. "I worshipped my abuser," said a woman who described herself as his niece. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday. Last year, Attorney General Becerrahelped bring downthe worlds largest online brothel, Backpage.com, and convicted its CEO. Prosecutors said that the crimes dated back to at least 2015. Agents also testified that Ocampo would take the young girls to Victorias Secret stores to buy lingerie for them to wear as she filmed them for the Apostle.. 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. 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. Naasn Joaqun Garca may be released in December 2032 Dementia And Memory Loss Has Been Linked To This Common Pill. Illicit enrichment, money laundering, transfers to tax havens and the purchase of luxury goods and services were some of the alerts issued by the unit. 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. We will hold you accountable if you break the law, Atty. Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of La Luz del Mundo church, in court in Los Angeles in 2020. 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. Garcias lawyers didnt immediately return requests for comment; a church spokesman had no immediate comment. Ruiz told The Associated Press that his family has belonged to La Luz del Mundo for three generations. "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. It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. Born in Argentina but raised in Los Angeles, Miller is a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia Universitys School of Journalism. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. "The apostle always shows determination to move forward," said Phares Ruiz, who traveled from El Salvador to attend the Holy Supper. "It is not sufficient to say 'I have converted' or "I have baptized'" she said. 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. And it shouldnt be, the lawyer continued. ", "I worshipped my abuser," said a woman identified as Jane Doe 4 and said she was his niece. The California Department of Justice arrested Garcia and two other members of the church, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo, in 2019. Do you remember the night you finally stole my virginityand you smiled and told me it was a blessing from God? said another, who added: Do you remember when you wanted me to bring my little sister to you? Earlier this year, Sochil Martin, who grew up in the Church in southern California, filed a civil lawsuit against Garcia and the church, describing how she had been recruited at the age of nine and became a sex slave for both Garcias fatherthe previous Apostleand then Garcia. 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. She claimed facing decades of abuse at the hands of the leaders, including Naasn and his late father, Samuel Joaqun Flores. 6 min read. This is a man who has committed atrocities in the name of God, in the name of this church and everything is an excuse. It is unclear what his guilty admission will mean for the megachurch with international reach, and whether it will force the kind of larger reckoning over abuse and decades-long cover-ups that has swept the Catholic Church. 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