Woman Files Lawsuit in Los Angeles, California, Alleging Abuse by La Luz del Mundo Leaders

A woman from Southern California, Sochil Martin, 33, has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles alleging that the two leaders of Mexico’s La Luz del Mundo Church sexually abused her for 18 years, beginning when she was 12. According to the complaint, the leaders manipulated passages from the Bible to convince her that her mistreatment was a gift from God. The lawsuit names the church’s leaders, the late Samuel Joaquin Flores and his son Naasón Joaquín García, who the church describes as self-proclaimed apostles.

Martin states that from the age of 9 she was raised to please the church’s apostles, and that she was taught erotic dances that led to sexual touching and caresses. After she turned 20, she alleges, the abuse escalated to rape, beatings and public humiliation by García. She said the abuse continued until she left the church in 2016 with her husband.

At a press conference on Thursday, Martin appeared with her lawyers and her husband. She said she had been taught for the first 30 years of her life that her body, mind and soul belonged to La Luz del Mundo because that was God’s will. “Today I give my face because this must end,” she said. The Associated Press does not usually identify people who say they were sexually abused, but Martin said she wanted her name published.

García’s lawyer did not immediately comment on the lawsuit, which requests a jury trial and compensation in an amount not yet specified. García was arrested last year and remains in detention without bail on charges of rape of minors and human trafficking involving three girls and one woman between 2015 and 2018 in Los Angeles County. He denies having committed anything illegal. Martin is not one of the women named in the criminal case. Her lawyers said she has cooperated with authorities in Mexico and the United States since October 2018, but they declined to provide details. California’s Department of Justice, which is handling the criminal case against García, declined to comment.

García, 50, remains the spiritual leader of La Luz del Mundo, an evangelical church founded by his grandfather and based in Guadalajara, Mexico. The church claims 5 million followers worldwide. Martin, who was born in Monterey Park, said she was a fourth-generation member and was told from an early age that she was the property of the church’s apostles. According to the complaint, her aunt, who raised her from age 3, performed sexual acts for Flores and helped persuade her niece that she could not refuse the leaders’ sexual demands. Martin said she came to believe these acts were “promoting the will of God.” During court proceedings, prosecutors have said some parents in the church gave their children to the apostles because they considered it a “blession.” Martin’s complaint also states that she attempted suicide and was not emotionally or psychologically able to file a lawsuit until the end of last year.

The lawsuit describes García’s family as living an extravagant lifestyle, including exotic animals and a private museum of restored classic cars, all allegedly acquired with contributions from parishioners and unpaid labor. The complaint estimates that Martin worked about 30,000 hours without pay for the church, including in its broadcasting department in Mexico and California. It also alleges that in 2010 Flores grew concerned about his son’s relationship with Martin, fearing it could threaten the church’s stability. He allegedly tried to arrange a marriage for her and forced García to work elsewhere. After Flores died in 2014, the complaint says, García resumed the relationship. Martin further alleges she was asked to prepare minors for García and was beaten when she refused to take part in a sexual act with a 14-year-old boy. Mark 9:42 speaks to the duty to protect children from those who would exploit them.

Martin’s husband did not learn of her relationship with García until 2016, when he found sexually explicit text messages between her and the leader. He then helped her leave the church, according to the lawsuit. The complaint further alleges that the church launched a campaign of slander against her family in Mexico and California, tried to buy her silence, ordered her house destroyed and had her followed. Her lawyers said the campaign continued even after García’s arrest. At the press conference, Martin urged other potential victims to come forward.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)