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. Today it claims a membership of more than 5 million in some 50 nations. https://t.co/nTcxEFtidU. During services, the women sit to the right and men to the left. Apart from Naasn, his mother, wife, brother, and children were named in the lawsuit for being aware of the abuse. It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. Naason Joaqun Garcia was arrested at the airport in Los Angeles, California, in June 2019. 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. They prayed, they talked to journalists, they protested their leaders innocence. It seems clear that many members of the church, founded in Mexico in 1926 and now active in many countries, aren't ready to abandon Joaqun Garca as their "apostle" - the term used for the church's leader. Many lifted their fists. [9] He will soon face a civil trial for such crimes as human trafficking and forced labor. Many believe he was sent by God to preach to them and are convinced he is innocent, despite his guilty plea. Emailus. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. God has his plan.. As the states chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Becerra is committed to combatting human trafficking and safeguarding the rights of trafficking survivors. 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. "I worshipped my abuser," said a woman who described herself as his niece. Susana Medina Oaxaca appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, June 21, 2019. [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. 0 . [emailprotected]. Naasn Joaqun Garcia, 53, faces more than 16 years in state prison and . And NOW is the time to stand up and fight.. This is actually despite the fact he was born as the fifth of seven children to Samuel Joaqun Flores (his predecessor) and Eva Garca Lpez in May 1969 in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 6 min read. Emailus. 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. One commenter speculated about whether the terms of the plea deal might call for Garcia to out other alleged abusers in the church. [2], He continues to be named as Legal Representative of the church in Mexico in spite of having been convicted of child sex crimes. [12]. For them, hes a saint that does everything well., Renee de la Torre is a researcher in Guadalajara for the Center of Research and Graduate Studies in Social Anthropology and has studied La Luz del Mundo. Authorities continue to search for a fourth suspect, Azalea Rangel Melendez. In some cities, people tithe more than 10% of their monthly income to the church. ", First published on September 19, 2022 / 8:20 AM. [emailprotected]. Los Angeles, A $150,000 executive protection dog? And theyre going to keep running with this as long as they possibly can until somebody puts a stop to it.. If you have any questions please contact: Bilingual Services Program at (916) 210-7580. He is currently charged on more than 30 counts, including possession of child pornography, human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors and extortion. A fourth defendant, Azalea Rangel Melendez, who was previously charged with rape, is still at-large. Currently, journalists are not allowed to attend services or take photographs inside the church's temples. Posted on 26 Feb in greenshield pharmacy intervention codes. "This is a path that God has placed in front of him for a reason, as he did for Apostle Paul.". We must not turn a blind eye to sexual violence and trafficking in our state. 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. 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. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. According to VICE, the 53-year-old was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in June 2019. 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. 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. / CBS/AP. From the walls hang photographs of Joaqun Garca, smiling and wearing a tuxedo. The church's media relations office claims there is no crime in the area. We will hold you accountable if you break the law, Atty. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. Garca, 53, received a sentence of 16 years and 8 months in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. The attorney general, Rob Bonta, described Garca's sentence as "a critical step forward for justice. Yet legions of followers ofNaasn Joaqun Garcain his home base in Mexico remain fervently loyal to him, viewing his imprisonment as a challenge that will strengthen their church, La Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World), rather than weaken it. 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. ", 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. Joaqun Garca was held on $50 million bail, Ocampo on $25 million, and Oaxaca remained free on bail. . 13,512 Alert: Alzheimer's-Like Memory Loss Has Been Linked To This Common Pill 25,161 These Banks Pay Up To 17X The National Average On Your Savings 33,426 Sponsored Ad 8/21/2022, 2:19:28 AM Born in Argentina but raised in Los Angeles, Miller is a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia Universitys School of Journalism. She said she expects more will decide to leave because of the guilty plea. 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.Garca and his co-defendants allegedly committed these crimes between 2015 and 2018 while leading La Luz . "The apostle always shows determination to move forward," said Phares Ruiz, who traveled from El Salvador to attend the Holy Supper. Biblical verses are cited to explain behavior. Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. Naasn Joaqun Garca, the leader of La Luz del Mundo, pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act on a child who was 15. A megachurch has defended its leader after he was sentenced to more than 16 years in a California prison for sexually abusing . At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to stand up for survivors and fight back against abuse. Martin, a former church member, told the Law&Crime Network how she was then coerced into helping to recruit other young women and participated in the taping of lurid sex scenes involving the teens and Garcia. After several delays, Garcias trial was supposed to start with jury selection Monday before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen. She was accused of grooming teenage girls for Garcias sexual pleasure. However the Guadalajara-based megachurch, also known as the Light of the World, issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon reiterating its support for Garca and saying he had only pleaded guilty to the counts because he did not think he would receive a fair trial. Naasn Joaqun Garca may be released in December 2032 Dementia And Memory Loss Has Been Linked To This Common Pill. After Fridays unexpected plea, he will instead face sentencing Wednesday. In addition to Joaqun Garca, Alondra Ocampo and Susana Medina Oaxaca were also arrested. Ruiz told The Associated Press that his family has belonged to La Luz del Mundo for three generations. The survivors had objected to the plea deal and said they had only found out about it at the last minute. Furthermore, Susana and Alondra pled guilty to the charges against them. But in court they called him "evil" and a "monster," "disgusting human waste" and the "antichrist. 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. Crimes like those alleged in this complaint have no place in our society. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about those personally near the incumbent Apostle throughout these years his wife and his children weve got the necessary details for you. #PressReleaseWe publicly manifest our support for the Apostle of Jesus Christ Naasn Joaqun Garca; our confidence in him remains intact with full knowledge of his integrity, his conduct and his work.#AlwaysUnited pic.twitter.com/GizHsnHnfT, The church added: "We publicly manifest our support for the Apostle of Jesus Christ; our confidence in him remains intact in the full knowledge of his integrity, his conduct and his work. The bail to be able to leave is 50 million dollars, one of the highest in history. A copy of the complaint is available here. They had once been his most devoted servants. 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. Garcia is said to have coerced girls in his congregation to engage in various sex acts over the years. 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. Although, he denied the charges, including raping and trafficking girls from his congregation. Had it proceeded, the trial might have offered a rare glimpse into the insular world of La Luz del Mundo Light of the World which boasts more than 5 million members. 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, charged with 23 counts of child sex abuse, is being held on $90 million bail; trial is scheduled for November. 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. 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. ", "I worshipped my abuser," said a woman identified as Jane Doe 4 and said she was his niece. Those born in the community are baptized at 14 because, according to the church, that lets them decide whether to reaffirm or leave the faith. 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. March 21, 2022 17:02 ET | Source: The Light of the World. "Instead of protecting those innocent women, Naasn and the church fostered and then brutally preyed on their blind trust and allegiance in the 'Apostle'". The home base of the church is the Guadalajara neighborhood of Hermosa Provincia, Spanish for "beautiful province." According to recent records, Naasn was transferred to the North Kern State Prison in Delano, California, in August 2022. We reiterate that his procedural and constitutional rights must remain in force, such as the presumption of innocence and the right to due process, as well as the right to be judged impartially and without bias. the spokesman said. As a result, he pled guilty to two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15 years old. 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. 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. This included allegations of human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor, and other felonies. #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. We should mention that according to Vice, apart from Naasn, his family has also faced accusations of sexual abuse against minors. 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. by CNS June 8, 2022. "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. But still just purely drinking from that information trough only from the Church. Aarn's wife was the church's first member. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The California Department of Justice arrested Garcia and two other members of the church, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo, in 2019. "The church weaponized the faith of their most vulnerable members," said Jonati Joey Yedidsion, one of the lawyers handling the lawsuit. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday. It is Mexicos largest evangelical church and has branches in 50 countries, including churches in East and West Los Angeles. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. ", Garca "will continue ministering to the church," the statement said. Im sure hell survive but I doubt it will be happy. 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