FILE – Naasón Joaquín García, leader of the fundamentalist Guadalajara, Mexico-based church La Luz del Mundo, appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 5, 2019. Naasón Joaquín García, leader of the Mexican mega-church La Luz del Mundo, pleaded guilty Friday, June 3, 2022, to sexually abusing three girls, the California state attorney general said. (AP Photo / Damian Dovarganes, File)
AP
ENGENE
Naasón Joaquín García, the leader of the Mexican mega-church La Luz del Mundo, dropped his strong denials of sexual abuse of girls and pleaded guilty Friday a few days before he was put on trial, the state prosecutor in California said.
García, 53, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court to two counts of coercive oral copulation involving minors and a charge of adultery against a 15-year-old child. included child rape and human trafficking. child pornography.
Garcia, the leader of a church founded by his grandfather who has 5 million followers worldwide, used his spiritual influence to have sex with several female followers, prosecutors said.
“García used her power to take advantage of children,” State Attorney Rob Bonta said in a statement. “He trusted those around him to groom congregations for the purpose of sexual assault. Today’s conviction can never undo the damage, but it will help protect future generations.”
The declaration of guilt is an abrupt turn from the strong denials of his lawyers and ardent support from the Guadalajara-based church and his followers. Church and Garcia attorneys did not immediately comment on the guilty plea.
The verdict was scheduled for Wednesday. Garcia remains jailed on $ 90 million bail.
Since his arrest in 2019, Garcia has faced another obstacle during the trial.
One of his co-defendants, Alondra Ocampo, a church member who has since pleaded guilty and admitted that she facilitated and participated in the abuse, was ready to testify against him.
Attorney Fred Thiagarajah, who represents the former church youth group leader, said Ocampo would be the star witness who could confirm the victims’ testimonies and provide context to the prosecutor’s case.
“She actively recruited and nurtured girls for him,” Thiagarajah said. “She wanted to target girls and bring them into his inner fold. She was given the task of sexualizing these girls and facilitating their abuse.”
Ocampo told girls that if they rejected the “apostle’s” wishes and desires, they went against God, according to the charges.
She urged girls to wear thin clothes and dance for Garcia, who then “gave them a speech about a king who had mistresses and declared that an apostle of God can never be convicted of his actions,” the indictment states.
Ocampo told three girls that Garcia would be happy to receive nude selfies of them, and she even orchestrated pornographic footage of those touching each other, which she said would be sent to Garcia.
Garcia thanked the girls for the photos, according to court documents.
Another female co-defendant who was a member of the church, Susana Medina Oaxaca, pleaded guilty Friday to assault that was likely to cause major bodily harm.
