Minister of 130 Costa Rican Churches Busted at LAX Airport and Charged with Sexual Abuse

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Naason Joaquin Garcia, the 50-year old “Apostle” of the Luz del Mundo (Light of the World) Church, got quite a surprise when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport and deplaned from his private charter airplane – officials were waiting for him, and arrested him for human trafficking, production of child pornography, forcible rape of a minor, and several other felonies committed between 2015-2018.
The news was like a bomb going off within his five million followers worldwide, 15,000 churches, and 58 countries. Authorities placed his bail at 25 million dollars, the highest ever in Los Angeles. His followers are capable of raising a high bail quickly, and authorities did not want Garcia released. Garcia is a Mexican citizen, but travels constantly internationally to visit his faithful. He is such an important figure in the Evangelical community, that religious leaders have compared his arrest in LA to Mexico having thrown megachurch pastor Joel Osteen in Mexican jail. Almost unimaginable.
The stories his victims have told are even harder to imagine. Garcia allegedly instructed young girls to dance around almost naked in a “flirty” manner while his assistants filmed and photographed them for use in the sale of pornography. These sessions allegedly often came to an end when Garcia selected one or more girls to perform oral sex on him, or submit to non-consensual sex with him. The girls were told that if they went against any of the desires or wishes of the “Apostle”, they were going against the will of God.
There are some 130 Luz del Mundo churches in Costa Rica, a country where the state religion is Catholicism , according to the Constitution. 76.3 of Costa Ricans identify as Catholics, while only 13.7 are evangelical Christians. The evangelical church is growing fast in Costa Rica (and in the USA), a fact which is alarming to many in both countries. Said Professor Javier Corrales of Amherst College about this sudden increase in evangelical followers, “The conservative message of evangelicals regarding reproductive rights and marriage is going mainstream. The most important flagships of the evangelicals, including their homophobic and pro-life discourse, is not that extreme to Costa Rican voters as in other countries.”


In fact, Garcia was honored in Costa Rica in 2017 at a gala attended by many top political figures. He was honored for both his support of the youth of Costa Rica, and his strong defense of women everywhere. Luz del Mundo was founded in 1926 by Garcia’s grandfather. Both his grandfather and his father were rumored to have been sexual abusers, but were never charged, due possibly to a reluctance on the part of loyal followers to testify against them.
Luz del Mundo representative in Costa Rica, Gerson Gonzalez, stated about Garcia’s charges, “We categorically reject all charges against him.”
Meanwhile authorities are looking for more of Garcia’s victims in both the United States and Mexico. The victims who have already come forward have been put under protective order because the attorney general’s office believe church members would do “just about anything to protect or please defendant Garcia, based on a ‘spiritual oath’ allegedly taken to Garcia.”
Three female associates were also arrested with Garcia at LAX. Others are being pursued for arrest, and it is alleged that there were female accomplices in many of the orgies and other criminal activities.
Garcia’s bail has now been set at $50 million USD.
 

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