Naasón Merarí Joaquín García (born on May 7, 1969) is a Mexican religious leader and convicted

child molester Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whether ...

who is the third leader of the

La Luz del Mundo The Iglesia del Dios Vivo, Columna y Apoyo de la Verdad, La Luz del Mundo (; English: "Church of the Living God, Pillar and Ground of the Truth, The Light of the World")or simply La Luz del Mundo (LLDM)is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian C ...

church, succeeding his father, Samuel Joaquín Flores, in December 2014.

Early life

Joaquín García was born on May 7, 1969 in the Mexican city of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

, the fifth of seven children to Samuel Joaquín Flores and Eva García.

Career

Before becoming the head of La Luz del Mundo at 45, he was (most recently) a minister for the group in Santa Ana, California, and previously served as minister for other congregations in cities throughout California (Huntington Park, San Diego, East Los Angeles, Santa Maria) and Arizona. He continues to be named as Legal Representative of the church in Mexico in spite of having been convicted of child sex crimes. Because his religious registry is against Mexican Law now that he has been sentenced, there is currently a petition to remove his name from both The Light of The World church (iglesia La Luz del Mundo) and the Levitical Fraternity (Fraternidad Levítico) in that country. revocar-registros-religiosos-de-njg-pederasta-confeso

Arrest and legal proceedings

On June 3, 2019, Joaquín García was arrested and charged by prosecutors from

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

with sexual abuse charges involving minors. Two days before his trial, Naasón Joaquín Garcia pleaded guilty to three charges related to sexually abusing children. On June 8 2022 he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison. Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo were also charged. Joaquín García was held on $50 million bail, Ocampo on $25 million, and Oaxaca remained free on bail. A fourth defendant, Azalea Rangel Melendez, who was previously charged with rape, is still at-large. Also, a February federal lawsuit against the church and Joaquín García alleging that Joaquín García and his father sexually abused a Southern California girl regularly from the time she was twelve until she was eighteen is still pending. He was transferred to North Kern State Prison for evaluations to determine his placement within the prison system. He will soon face a civil trial for such crimes as human trafficking and forced labor. The RICO suit names him, the organization called Light of the World, his mother, his wife, his brother, and many of the leaders of the organization. Federal criminal investigations are pending in both the United States and Mexico.

Personal life

He is married to Alma Zamora, and they have three children: Adoraím, Eldaí, Sibma.

References

Mexican religious leaders 1969 births Living people American religious leaders {{Mexico-reli-bio-stub