naason joaquin garcia released

naason joaquin garcia released

30.12.2020, , 0

The neighborhood has cafeterias, clinics, a recreation center and a store that sells Bibles and religious-themed games for children. 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. They allegedly were told that if they went against Garcias desires they were going against God. Period, said Attorney General Becerra. Not just that, the complaint detailed how the victims were reportedly forced to perform sexual acts and dances in minimal clothing for their Apostle. by CNS June 8, 2022. 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. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Theyve always supported this pedophile, this rapist, this criminal, and who himself just confessed that he was a pedophile. I know how hard it is for them to see Naason like a normal person that also does bad things, she said. The church's media relations office claims there is no crime in the area. 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. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. RFK killer Sirhan Sirhan denied parole by California board, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. Offenders and people accused of molesting children always have a difficult time in prison. "We all suffer something in life, but one learns to know those moments where you see that God is doing something to help you, to get ahead, not to let you fall.". Naason Joaquin Garcia was arrested in L.A. this past summer and charged with child sexual abuse and human trafficking. In addition to Joaqun Garca, Alondra Ocampo and Susana Medina Oaxaca were also arrested. Said parishioner Robert Pelegreen at the time: When David was going to fight Goliath, it looked like he was going to lose. 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. 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. 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. 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. "I did cry, because I was saying, 'God, deliver me from this, make this time pass quickly,'" Haifa said from Texas. 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. 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.. Joaqun Garca, 53, was arrested in 2019 in California. 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. Prosecutors said that the crimes dated back to at least 2015. "I worshipped my abuser," said a woman who described herself as his niece. Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of La Luz del Mundo church, in court in Los Angeles in 2020. Before joining the Los Angeles Times in 2022, he covered public safety for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. 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. #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. By Khaleda Rahman On 6/9/22 at 4:57 AM EDT. 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. It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. After several delays, Garcias trial was supposed to start with jury selection Monday before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen. In September of the same year, he reportedly addressed his congregation via a phone call behind bars. Leila Miller is a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Mexico City. 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. She pointed to how the church has consistently held that Garcia was innocent and has spent the last few years trying to build a positive image of the institution, claiming its membership has stayed strong. But still just purely drinking from that information trough only from the Church. Currently, journalists are not allowed to attend services or take photographs inside the church's temples. 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. 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Garca, 53, received a sentence of 16 years and 8 months in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. 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. 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. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday. This biographical article about a Mexican religious figure is a stub. 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. La Luz del Mundo dissidents seek more charges . In addition to his prison time, Garcia is expected to be ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. When the women tried to expose Garca, they found themselves isolated and shunned by the church community, including members of their own families. 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. They have power, they have the money, she added. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Crimes like those alleged in this complaint have no place in our society. 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. Three female church members also have been charged with various offenses. We should mention that according to Vice, apart from Naasn, his family has also faced accusations of sexual abuse against minors. 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 is the second woman from Garcias inner circle to turn against him. She said she does not think the plea deal will result in a total crisis for the institution.. Since having carried out harassment of minors, touching and rape. Flores died in 2014 and passed the mantle of apostle on to Garcia. "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. One commenter speculated about whether the terms of the plea deal might call for Garcia to out other alleged abusers in the church. Read More: Where is Naasn Joaqun Garcia Now? [10] Federal criminal investigations are pending in both the United States and Mexico. 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. Castillo, a recently married woman of 25, told AP the church advises members how "to lead a decent life," in which women may not drink alcohol or go out on frequent dates. 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. During services, the women sit to the right and men to the left. Matthew Ormseth is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. 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. She joined the newsroom in 2018 and spent several years working on the criminal justice team. 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. The case against him came as a result of a tip in 2018 to a U.S. Justice Department website that was created to help people report abuse by clergy. 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. 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. Naasn became involved with the churchs activities at a young age and served as a minister in several other congregations across California and Arizona. [8], He was transferred to North Kern State Prison for evaluations to determine his placement within the prison system. [1] Early life [ edit] 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. A fourth defendant, Azalea Rangel Melendez, who was previously charged with rape, is still at-large. They also alleged the church was involved in a lengthy cover-up of the sexual misconduct. 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. 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. 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. 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 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He is the third apostle of the congregation after succeeding his father Samuel in power after his death on December 14, 2014. 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. With Naasns grandfather Aaron Joaquin Gonzalez having established La Luz Del Mundo in 1926 and him being a third-generation heir, its honestly no surprise hed gained worldwide notoriety. A St. Paul, Minn., native, Jany studied communications at Mississippi State University. Biblical verses are cited to explain behavior. 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. 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