The leader of Mexican megachurch La Luz del Mundohas pleaded guilty to sexually abusing three girls, just days before facing trial, California state prosecutors say.
FILE - Naasón Joaquín García, the 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, the leader of the Mexican megachurch La Luz del Mundo, pleaded guilty Friday, June 3, 2022, to sexually abusing three girls, California state prosecutors said.
The guilty plea was an abrupt turn of events from the vigorous denials by his lawyers and ardent support from the Guadalajara-based church that is also known by its English name, The Light of the World. The church and Garcia’s lawyers did not immediately comment on the guilty plea. Alondra Ocampo, who had pleaded guilty and admitted to helping find his victims and participate in the abuse, was poised to testify against him.
She encouraged girls to wear skimpy outfits and dance for Garcia, who then “gave them a speech about a king having mistresses and stated that an apostle of God can never be judged for his actions,” the charges stated.