Four months after charges against him were dropped for procedural reasons, the leader of the La Luz del Mundo megachurch was back in court in California and charged anew with rape and related sex abuse crimes.

Naason Joaquin Garcia, known to church members as “the Apostle,” is accused of raping children and forcing them to perform various sexual acts between June 2015 and April 2018. He is now facing 36 felony charges – including forcible rape of a minor, forcible oral copulation of a person under 18, unlawful sexual intercourse, lewd act on a child, extortion, conspiracy and possession of child pornography – 10 more than were originally filed against him.

He is  being held for lack of $90 million bail, according to the U.S. News & World Report.

La Luz del Mundo

La Luz Del Mundo, or The Light of the World, is a Pentecostal Christian religious group based in Guadalajara, Mexico that has temples in 50 nations and dozens in Southern California, an article by the news website LAist.com says. The church was founded by Garcia’s grandfather.

La Luz del Mundo is led by the Apostle of Jesus Christ, who members believe is God’s living messenger on earth. Garcia became the Apostle after his father died in late 2014.

Less than five years after he took over, three girls and one woman went to the California attorney general’s office and accused Garcia of abusing his power in the church to rape and otherwise sexually abuse minors.

Original Charges Dismissed

Garcia was first charged in June 2019 with multiple felonies, including three counts of forcible rape, lewd acts upon a child and two counts of conspiracy to commit human trafficking. He was arrested, denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. He was held for lack of a $50 million bail bond.

Weeks later, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office filed some additional charges against Garcia. At that time, Garcia chose not to waive his right to a speedy trial, according to reporting by LAist.

When in September the attorney general’s office was still not ready to conduct a preliminary hearing on the charges, Garcia’s lawyers moved to have the case dismissed. Their first attempt failed, but on appeal, the court ruled in Garcia’s favor and the case was dropped.

Charges Refiled, Bail Increased

Attorney General Becerra refiled the charges, and added some new ones, in Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 30.

Also charged in the case are Alondra Ocampo and Susana Medina Oaxaca, who have both been arrested, and Azalea Rangel Melendez, who has not been located, a news report by NBC Los Angeles said. Ocampo is accused of recruiting the young girls for Garcia, photographing them for him and grooming them.

The criminal complaints filed in the case indicate there are at least five victims, some of whom are still minors, who have said they were raped or sexually abused by Garcia. The U.S. News & World Report article also cites prosecutors as saying there is “an ‘orgy’ video in which Garcia is seen watching while a young boy has sex.”

A new bail hearing for Garcia was held over two days, August 5 and 6. Prosecutors petitioned the court to increase the defendant’s bail from $50 million to $90 million over concerns if he were to post bond, Garcia would flee to Mexico using La Luz del Mundo funds available to him, the U.S. News & World Report said. Garcia  has remained the Apostle of the church.

The judge agreed and set Garcia’s bail at $90 million.

Meanwhile, a former member of La Luz del Mundo filed a sexual assault lawsuit against the church and Garcia in February accusing the leader and other church officials of engaging in human trafficking, racketeering, sexual battery and forced labor, according to a news story by Univision.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.