Evangelical Church Leader In Mexico Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison After Engaging In Sexual Harassment Of 3 Young Women

Illustration-(Photo: DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The leader of a large Mexico-based evangelical church that claims to have five million followers worldwide has been sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison for sexually abusing three teenage girls.

The verdict was issued on Wednesday, June 8 in a Los Angeles court, United States. Naason Joaquin Garcia is the leader of the La Luz del Mundo (Light of the World) church in Guadalajara, Mexico and considers himself an apostle.

Garcia on Friday, June 3 last week -- reported by Reuters via Antara -- was found guilty of two charges, namely forcing oral intercourse with minors and committing obscene acts against a child.

Garcia, 53, entered his defense three days before he was tried on 23 counts of sexual crimes against children. The charges include a number of cases of rape, conspiracy in human trafficking and child pornography.

Some of the victims who sued Garcia were each referred to as "Jane Doe".

In victim statements delivered during the trial on Wednesday, all five victims stated that they felt they had been robbed of their opportunity to get to grips with Garcia more.

At Wednesday's trial, Garcia sat with his back to the accusers, who each had tears in their eyes recounting their ordeal.

"We respect you, you are our god, and you betrayed us. You turned out to be nothing more than a predator and abuser," said Jane Doe No.3, choking back tears.

Jane Doe No. 4, who calls himself Garcia's nephew, said, "Naason and this church have ruined my life."

Other accusers said at trial that Garcia had sent messages to church members acknowledging his innocence. But in the message, Garcia said he accepted the deal with the prosecution because he believed he could get a fair trial.

"Your Honor, this abuser took your trial as a joke. Even after he accepted the negotiated agreement, he sent a message to the church that he was innocent," the accuser said.

In the end, the judge announced the sentence suggested by the prosecutors, which was 16 years and eight months in prison.

Garcia's verdict is the culmination of a series of investigations that began in 2018.

He was arrested in 2019 at Los Angeles International Airport with another defendant, Susana Medina Oaxaca.

Oaxaca last Friday pleaded guilty to assault that could have resulted in severe bodily harm.

Another defendant, Alondra Ocampo, who was also detained in 2019, pleaded guilty to three charges in 2020 of having contact with a minor with the intent of committing a sexual offence and forcible intercourse.

Ocampo has previously faced a number of charges, including human trafficking.

A fourth person charged in the investigation, Azalea Rangel Melendez, is still at large, prosecutors said. La Luz del Mundo is Mexico's largest evangelical church, founded in the 1920s, has branches in 50 countries, and claims to have five million members.