New York, NY, Court Sets October 27 Hearing for La Luz del Mundo Leader Naasón Joaquín García

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has set a new date for a hearing in the case against Naasón Joaquín García, the former leader of La Luz del Mundo. According to one report published in September 2025, the court announced that the hearing will take place on October 27 at 11:00 a.m. Another report says the hearing had originally been scheduled for September 23 and was moved to October 27 at 11 a.m. The first report states that the rescheduling followed a request from the defense, because the original date conflicted with other trials involving the same jury.

Prosecutors allege that Garcia committed multiple counts of rape, statutory rape, molestation, human trafficking, child pornography and extortion. A later amended complaint added three new counts of possessing child pornography against him, according to one report. These are allegations, and the reports do not describe any findings on them. The sources also differ on his current legal status. One report says Garcia is serving a 16-year sentence in the United States for sexual crimes and also faces additional charges related to trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. Other reports describe a pending criminal case and pretrial proceedings, and do not mention a sentence. The reports do not resolve this difference.

On July 22, 2026, Federal Judge Loretta Preska ruled against the defense’s request to access secret Grand Jury records in the criminal case, according to two reports. One of these reports said the ruling kept the trial moving toward March 2027. Another report, which gives no date, said that the judge denied an appeal by Garcia to access the Grand Jury’s secret records. That report said the defense had argued that religious freedom should protect the church’s practices, and that Preska rejected this argument. A separate report said that on July 23, 2026, Preska dismissed the argument that religious freedom could shield Garcia from charges of sexual trafficking and abuse. A further report, which gives no date, carried the headline that a judge had rejected a defense motion, but the text available does not provide details of that motion.

Those who cannot defend themselves deserve protection, and the allegations in this case involve children, a concern reflected in the charges described above (Proverbs 31:8-9).

On July 24, 2026, the defense of Naasón Joaquín García filed a petition with the Federal Court of New York asking that the charges be dismissed, according to one report.