La Luz del Mundo Leader Naasón Joaquín García Detained on Alleged Trafficking and Child Sexual Abuse Charges

La Luz del Mundo, a megachurch based in Mexico with a presence in approximately 50 countries, has been the subject of criminal proceedings against its leader in the United States. Naasón Joaquín García, the church’s founder and former pastor, was detained in 2019. He is described as the self-proclaimed “Apostle of Jesus Christ” and leader of the church, which is based in Guadalajara. According to one report, he was arrested in the United States alongside others.

Reports differ on the date and details of his arrest. Rezo Nòdwes reported that García was arrested in California on June 5, 2019, on suspicion of rape and child pornography. BBC News Mundo reported that he was arrested on June 3 in the United States. Rezo Nòdwes said García was arrested along with three other individuals associated with the church, and that they face 26 charges covering crimes allegedly committed between 2015 and 2018. BBC News Mundo, citing the California prosecutor’s office, said the office accuses García of 26 crimes, including child pornography, sexual abuse of minors and human trafficking. These are accusations, not findings of a court.

Background on the church and its leadership appears in several reports. According to 20min.ch, García was born on 7 May 1969 and is the third leader of the church, which was founded in 1926 in Guadalajara, Mexico. He assumed the role of apostle in 2014, following his father’s tenure. The Guardian’s 2019 report described the church as having operated, in its words, “hiding in plain sight,” a phrase that appeared in the headline of that report.

El País reported on a multi-month investigation by a U.S. federal agency, which it identified as the New York Office of National Security Investigations (HSI), that involved interviews with dozens of former members. According to El País, the investigation team recently arrived in Los Angeles to arrest García and his mother, Eva García. El País also reported on an attempt by García’s lawyers to prevent prosecution in New York. The source material does not give the outcome of that effort.

The cases have drawn attention to the church’s members and to the minors alleged to have been harmed. Reports describe the charges as involving sexual abuse of minors, and the duty to protect children who cannot defend themselves stands at the center of the accusations [Proverbs 31:8-9]. BBC News Mundo’s 2025 report also covered members who defend García, indicating that the church’s faithful remain divided in their views of the case.

Reporting on García’s public communication from custody describes him addressing his followers in Mexico from a Los Angeles prison phone.