LOS ANGELES - The representatives of five survivors who were allegedly abused by the leader of a Mexican-based evangelical megachurch, who was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison for sex-related crimes involving minors, were expected to discuss new complaints on Monday.
In early June, Naasón Joaquín García, a former leader at La Luz del Mundo megachurch, pled guilty to multiple felony counts of sexual assault involving three separate minors.
In addition to his prison time, Garcia is expected to be ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The California Department of Justice led a multiyear investigation, which launched in 2018, and culminated in the arrest of García, Susana Medina Oaxaca, and Alondra Ocampo in 2019 for conduct that occurred over several years in Los Angeles County dating back to at least 2015.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- La Luz del Mundo megachurch leader Naasón Joaquín García sentenced
- Child rape charges refiled against Mexican megachurch leader Naasón Joaquín García
- Lawsuit filed against La Luz del Mundo church, its leaders by alleged child sex assault victim
Over the course of the investigation and prosecution, prosecutors demonstrated that García’s criminal conduct was enabled by the individuals surrounding him and that García used his position of trust and authority as the leader of La Luz del Mundo to sexually abuse children.
As a result of the guilty plea, García was convicted of two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15 years old.
Oaxaca also pleaded guilty in court and was convicted of assault likely to cause great bodily injury. In 2020, Ocampo pleaded guilty to three felony counts of contact with a minor for the purposes of committing a sexual offense and one count of forcible sexual penetration. Ocampo will be sentenced at a later date. García and Ocampo remain in custody.
A fourth individual, Azalea Rangel Melendez, currently remains at large.