Leader of La Luz del Mundo Charged in New York With Organized Crime and Sex Trafficking

Federal prosecutors in New York have charged Naasón Joaquín García, leader of the Mexican church La Luz del Mundo, with conspiracy to commit organized crime and sex trafficking. Authorities announced the charges on Wednesday. The indictment, issued by a federal investigative jury in New York, alleges that García, 56, and five other people exploited the church for decades to enable systematic sexual abuse of children and women for the sexual gratification of García and his father, who died in 2014. Among the five other defendants is García’s mother. The prosecution also alleges that the criminal activity included the creation of photos and videos of child sexual abuse. These are allegations in an indictment, not findings of a court.

García is already serving a sentence of more than 16 years in a California prison after pleading guilty in 2022 to two state charges related to sexually abusing young followers. He was placed in federal custody early on Wednesday in California, according to the report.

La Luz del Mundo says it has about 5 million followers worldwide, and believers regard García as the “apostle” of Jesus Christ. Prosecutors in California have said that he used his spiritual influence to have sex with girls and young women who were told that this would lead to salvation, or to condemnation if they refused.

According to the federal prosecution, two of the defendants and others tried to destroy evidence and keep abuse victims from speaking to law enforcement after García was arrested. The prosecution alleges that they pressured victims to sign false statements denying that any abuse had occurred. It also alleges that they wrote and distributed sermons claiming that all victims of sexual abuse were lying, and that they reinforced church doctrine holding that doubting the “apostle” was a sin punishable by eternal damnation. The report notes that these are the prosecution’s claims. Honest testimony matters in such cases, as Proverbs 18:17 illustrates in its call for fair hearing.

In addition to García, one defendant was arrested in Los Angeles and another in Chicago, authorities said. Three others remained at large.

In a statement, federal prosecutor Jay Clayton said that García and the others “exploited the faith of his followers to take advantage of them.” He added: “When confronted, they used their religious influence and financial power to intimidate and coerce the victims to remain silent about the abuse they had suffered.” Ricky J. Patel, head of the National Security Investigations office in New York, said the charges were the result of a “year-long investigation that covered the country and involved the support of dozens of brave victims.”

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)