Naason Joaquin Garcia, the head of a church with five million followers, was sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison.
The head of a Megachurch is based in Mexico was just sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison in the US for sexually abusing 3 girls.
Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of Guadalajara based in Missionary La Luz del Mundo’s church pleaded guilty last week as part of a plea agreement to charges of forcing oral intercourse and committing a lewd act against a minor.
The plea came three days before Garcia was put on trial on 23 counts of child sex crimes, including multiple counts of rape, conspiracy to traffic people and child pornography, with prosecutors accusing him of using position of spiritual power to manipulate his victims.
Garcia, along with a group of church members, groomed girls and young women, told them they would face permanent punishment if they failed to comply with sexual requests or if they reported the abuse, prosecutors have alleged.
The plea agreement, in which prosecutors brought 16 charges, including rape of girls and women, was condemned by the victims, who told the court on Wednesday they had robbed of the chance to go head-to-head with Garcia, who was considered an “apostle” by some five million members of his church.
“We adore you, you are our lord, and you have betrayed us. You are nothing more than a predator and an abuser,” an accuser identified as Jane Doe Number 3 told Garcia, who sat with his back to those who spoke.
An accuser identified as Jane Doe 4 said Garcia used her “time and again as a sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered”.
All survivors said they only learned of the last-minute plea agreement and were not consulted about the negotiations.
Another survivor said Garcia had no remorse for his crimes, alleging that he had recently sent a message to church members claiming he was innocent and stating that he accepted the plea deal. agreed with prosecutors simply because he believed he could not get a fair trial.
“Your honor, this abuser thinks your courtroom is a joke. Even after he accepted the plea agreement, he still sent a message to the church that he was innocent,” the accuser said.
For his part, Judge Ronald Coen said his hands were tied by the deal when he handed down the sentence recommended by prosecutors.
“I never cease to be amazed at what people do in the name of religion and how many lives are ruined under the guise of a supreme being,” Coen said.
The conviction opened the door to an investigation that began in 2018.
The following year, authorities arrested Garcia at Los Angeles International Airport along with a co-defendant, Susana Medina Oaxaca. She pleaded guilty last Friday to assault with the potential to cause bodily harm.
A second co-defendant, Alondra Ocampo, also arrested in 2019, pleaded guilty in 2020 to three counts of contacting a minor for the purpose of a sex offence, and one count of forcible sexual penetration. Before that, she had faced multiple counts of human trafficking and other charges.
A fourth person charged in the investigation, Azalea Rangel Melendez, is still at large.
When a Los Angeles judge ordered Garcia’s trial in August 2020, the church issued a statement defending their leader as falsely accused and saying the charges against him stem from ” anonymous, baseless allegations” and “blatant rumours”.
The church has not responded to the allegations since then.
