Naasón Joaquín García
Mexican religious leader and convicted child sex offender
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naasón Merarí Joaquín García (born 7 May 1969) is a Mexican convicted child sex offender[1] and religious leader who serves from prison as the third leader of the La Luz del Mundo church, succeeding his father, Samuel Joaquín Flores following his death in 2014.[2] In June 2022, he pled guilty in California to three charges related to sexually abusing children and was sentenced to 16 years 8 months.[3]
Eva García López
Naasón Joaquín García | |
|---|---|
 | |
| International Director of the La Luz del Mundo Church | |
| Assumed office 14 December 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Joaquín Flores |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 May 1969 |
| Spouse | Alma Zamora |
| Parent(s) | Samuel Joaquín Flores Eva García López |
| Criminal information | |
| Convictions | Oral copulation with a minor (2 counts) Lewd acts on a child (1 count) |
Criminal charge | State charges:
|
Penalty | 16 years, 8 months |
Early life
Joaquín García was born on 7 May 1969 in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, the fifth of seven children to Samuel Joaquín Flores and Eva García.[4]
Career
Before succeeding his father as head of La Luz del Mundo at 45,[5] he was a minister for the group in Santa Ana, California; he had previously served as minister for other congregations in cities throughout California (Huntington Park, San Diego, East Los Angeles, Santa Maria) and Arizona.[4]
Arrest and legal proceedings
On 3 June 2019, Joaquín García was arrested and charged by prosecutors from Los Angeles County with sexual abuse charges involving minors.[6][7][8] 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, remained at large. In addition, a federal lawsuit against the church and Joaquín García alleging that he and his father regularly sexually abused a Southern California girl from the time she was twelve until she was eighteen was still pending as of July 2020[update].[9]
Two days before his trial in June 2022, Joaquín Garcia pleaded guilty to three charges related to sexually abusing children.[10] On 8 June 2022, he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison.[11]
He was transferred to North Kern State Prison for evaluations to determine his placement within the prison system.[12] He was to also undergo a civil trial on charges including human trafficking and forced labor; a RICO suit named him, the organization called Light of the World, his mother, his wife, his brother, and many of the leaders of the organization.[13] Federal criminal investigations were pending in both the United States and Mexico.[14] As of April 2023[update], he is held in the California Institution for Men in Chino, California.[15]
In October 2023, Joaquín Garcia was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges relating to the production and possession of child pornography.[16]
Personal life
Joaquín Garcia is married to Alma Zamora; they have three children.[17]
