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. Rob Bonta said in a news release issued late Friday afternoon. 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. 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. 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. Similar accusations emerged in September last year, so the trial ended up being rescheduled for May 2022. Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of La Luz del Mundo church, in court in Los Angeles in 2020. 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. "You have to follow certain steps to prove your loyalty.". The home base of the church is the Guadalajara neighborhood of Hermosa Provincia, Spanish for "beautiful province." [emailprotected]. From what we can tell, every member of the Joaqun family prefers to stay well away from the limelight these days, yet they do likely divide their time between their homeland of Guadalajara and their last known base of California. 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. 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. One of the perpetrators was Naasn Joaqun Garcia, the third leader of the organization, who was accused of sexually abusing and even trafficking countless young children over many years. It is important to note that criminal charges are only allegations against a person. 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. [7], Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo were also charged. Todos Los Derechos Reservados 2021 Infobae, Lawyers of the leader of the Light of the World threatened witnesses from the United States and Mexico, I saw a criminal: Naasn Joaqun's assistant told how he lived 30 years with the former leader of La Luz del Mundo, There is already a date for the trial against Naasn Joaqun Garcia: The Light of the World awaits justice for the Apostle of Jesus Christ. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 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. 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. 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. 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 them and used the religion as ammunition against them. [11], He is married to Alma Zamora, and they have three children: Adoram, Elda, Sibma. 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 did cry, because I was saying, 'God, deliver me from this, make this time pass quickly,'" Haifa said from Texas. A St. Paul, Minn., native, Jany studied communications at Mississippi State University. "Ministers, pastors and deacons have their same duties. Ahead of the baptism, in a ritual known as "the revivals," children undergo days of prayer and fasting inside a temple. 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. 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. A copy of the complaint is available here. 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. 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. March 21, 2022 17:02 ET | Source: The Light of the World. 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. Joaqun Garca was held on $50 million bail, Ocampo on $25 million, and Oaxaca remained free on bail. To gasps of surprise, Joaqun Garca addressed the congregation by telephone from his Los Angeles prison, where he is serving a 16-year sentence. Kriti Mehrotra December 6, 2022 As a documentary series that lives up to its title in every way imaginable, HBO's 'Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo' can only be described as equal parts gripping, riveting, as well as haunting. 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. Garcia, charged with 23 counts of child sex abuse, is being held on $90 million bail; trial is scheduled for November. The conviction comes just days ahead of trial, which was set to begin on Monday. The survivors had objected to the plea deal and said they had only found out about it at the last minute. Since having carried out harassment of minors, touching and rape. She claimed facing decades of abuse at the hands of the leaders, including Naasn and his late father, Samuel Joaqun Flores. 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. The California Department of Justice has also fought to protect juvenile victims of trafficking,bringing 54 felony chargesagainst the alleged operators of a statewide sex trafficking ring in 2017. Today it claims a membership of more than 5 million in some 50 nations. Many believe he was sent by God to preach to them and are convinced he is innocent, despite his guilty plea. 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. 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. We must not turn a blind eye to sexual violence and trafficking in our state. Spanning the main street is a sculpture spelling "innocent" in Spanish. As per court documents, the complainants alleged he sexually abused one woman and three minors, also raping the woman and another child. 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. But in court they called him "evil" and a "monster," "disgusting human waste" and the "antichrist. In 2014, he succeeded his father as the new leader AKA the Apostle of the La Luz del Mundo. She said she expects more will decide to leave because of the guilty plea. World Crime Sexual abuse. Naason Joaqun Garcia was arrested at the airport in Los Angeles, California, in June 2019. Christopher Kellermeyer, whose wife Alondra Ocampo was charged with being Garcas accomplice by acting as a groomer, said Garcas followers would not be easily persuaded of his guilt. naason joaquin garcia released naason joaquin garcia released. 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. Susana Medina Oaxaca appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, June 21, 2019. "I worshipped my abuser," said a woman who described herself as his niece. 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 in 2020, a former La Luz Del Mundo church member, Sochil Martin, sued the church and its leaders. Matthew Ormseth is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. 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. Shame on you!". 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. 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. "He's firm in his convictions, and the church is firm as well in its purpose of moving forward.". 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. They were suspected of committing 26 felonies in Los Angeles County between 2015 and 2018. Im sure hell survive but I doubt it will be happy. "I think it changed for the better in the sense that now we feel more united, and we feel more empowered," she said. In total, there are more than 30 crimes in total, including child pornography and trafficking in persons, committed between 2015 and 2018. Congregation members in the neighborhood call each other "brother" and "sister" and take pride in helping one another. 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. Damian Dovarganes / AP The. by CNS June 8, 2022. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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. "SHAME, SHAME ON YOU!": California judge scolds families for abandoning sexual abuse survivors before sentencing self-declared "apostle" Naasn Joaqun Garc. 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. 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. Its not me thats doing this, this is what God wants you to do, Thiagarajah told Brian Ross. When the women tried to expose Garca, they found themselves isolated and shunned by the church community, including members of their own families. 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