The horror of the “Light of the World” church leader: a city of girls, videos of abuse, abortions and 5 million faithful

Naason Joaquín Garcia, the leader of the Mexican church La Luz del Mundo, accused of rape of minors and others, admitted it on Friday sexually abused three girlsCalifornia prosecutors said, just days before the trial began.

Garcia, 53, found guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court for two counts of forced oral intercourse involving minors and one count for obscene act against a 15-year-old girl. A jury was to be selected for his trial on Monday with charges that also included trafficking in human beings to produce child pornography.

Garcia was considered the “apostle” of Jesus Christ which could lead the faithful to salvation. Prosecutors said she used her spiritual influence to have sex with several parishioners.The Church he heads was founded by his grandfather in 1926 and has 5 million followers around the world.

“Garcia used his power to take advantage of the girls,” the lawyer said Rob Goodness it’s a statement. “He relied on those around him to educate parishioners for sexual abuse. Today’s guilty plea may never repair the damage, but it will help protect future generations.”

The fact that he pleaded guilty is an abrupt change of position with respect to the denials of his lawyers and the fervent support given to him by his Church, which It is based in the city of Guadalajara. The Church and Garcia’s lawyers did not immediately comment on the guilty plea.

Garcia could be sentenced to up to 16 years and eight months in prison in a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. He remains in jail and was given to $ 90 million bail. He was arrested in 2019 and accused along with two parishioners, accused of facilitating the abuses.

In addition to having to deal with his accusers at trial, the church leader faced the prospect of having to disprove one of his accomplices: Lark Ocampo, the former leader of the Iglesia.Ocampo youth group had already pleaded guilty and acknowledged that he helped García find his victims and participated in the abuses, and allegedly testified against him.

Ocampo’s lawyer, Fred ThiagarajahHe said his client would be the primary witness who could corroborate the victims’ testimony and provide context for the prosecution’s arguments: “He was actively recruiting girls and preparing them for him,” Thiagarajah said. “He picked the girls and brought them into his inner circle. His job was to sexualize these girls and make it easy for them to be abused.”

Ocampo told the girls that if they refused the wishes of the “apostle”, acted against Goddepending on expenses.

I encouraged them to do this dress up in provocative clothes and dance for Garciawho then “gave them a speech about a king who had lovers”, a city of girls at his mercy, and claimed that an apostle of God “can never be judged for his acts,” according to the charges.

Ocampo told three girls that Garcia would be happy to receive naked and even orchestrated selfies from them pornographic photo shoots in which they appeared touching each other and telling them that they would be sent to the head of the Church. Garcia thanked the girls for the photos, according to court records.

Another co-defendant who was a member of the Church, Susana Medina Oaxaca, The 27-year-old pleaded guilty on Friday to assault with the likelihood of causing serious personal injury, a misdemeanor charge.

Lawyer Pat Carey She said Medina faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted and that her admitting her guilt is in her best interest.

“It was also a relief to leave a 3-year trial behind instead of enduring a lengthy jury trial, 98% of which involved evidence that it had nothing to do with herCarey said in an email.

Garcia had previously pleaded not guilty to 19 charges that included the forced rape of a minor and illegal relationship. A judge had dismissed four counts of extortion and tightened the sentences severe physical injury for lack of evidence.

Ocampo, 39, has been charged with many of the same charges as Garcia and others. He pleaded guilty to three counts of contact with a minor for a sexual offense and the charge of forced sexual penetration involving four plaintiffs. She will be jailed for four years under the plea agreement, Thiagarajah said.

Defense attorneys had said prosecutors were operating according to a wild legal theory that Garcia used spiritual coercion for sexual pleasure.

“Prosecutors repeated ad nauseam their new theory that most of the crimes accused in this case occurred not by physical constraint, physical force, or fear of physical force, but because the witnesses who complained had no choice but to obey because they were under the complete mental and spiritual control of Mr. Garcia and the La Luz del Mundo church, ” the lawyer wrote. Alan Jackson in a judicial act. “It’s a fantasy that seems to come out of nowhere.”

Prosecutors said that, in essence, Garcia brainwashed the victims and they felt that they would be ostracized by the closed ecclesial community if they did not submit to their wishes. Denying a defense motion to dismiss the case, a judge said Garcia used religion to be some kind of “invisible chains” to exploit their victims.

The Church has tried cultivate an image of hard work and adherence to the law in Mexico, where it has about 2.8 million parishioners. Its male members usually wear short dresses and hair, and the women cover their hair with a veil and wear modest clothing. It has about 1 million members in the United States.

Garcia assumed the office of “apostle” after the death of his father Samuel Joaquín Flores in 2014. Flores was also the subject of allegations of child sexual abuse in 1997, but Mexican authorities have never filed criminal charges.

Ocampo claimed that Flores sexually abused her, Thiagarajah said, noting that her client had come under a lot of pressure from the church community and her own family when she turned her back on Garcia. Ocampo’s mother said she doesn’t believe him and accused her of working for the devil.

“This Church is a very dark institution”Thiagarajah declared. “The scale of the abuse this boy has committed against women and girls is astounding, and he has been going on for generations.”