On the day Garcia was apprehended three years ago, Jane Doe 3 said her mother took her to church to join other worshippers who were crying and praying for him. Joaquin Garcia, 21, says Folajimi "Jimi" Olubunmi Adewole, 20, counted down from three before they both plunged 10ft into the icy water. We would do something that would catch people off guard. Ocampo was prepared to testify against him, her attorney Fred Thiagarajah said. To his followers, he is a man of God. "The Apostle of Jesus Christ has had no choice but to accept with much pain that the agreement presented is the best way forward to protect the church and his family," the church said. The church's media relations office claims there is no crime in the area. LOS ANGELES The leader of a Mexican megachurch faces more than 16 years in a California prison when sentenced Wednesday for sexually abusing three girls who were followers. The church contended that prosecutors withheld or doctored evidence, and said Joaqun Garca pleaded guilty because he didn't think he could get a fair trial. But in court they called him "evil" and a "monster," "disgusting human waste" and the "antichrist. Dr. Garcas fierce advocacy for the education of all children is impossible to overestimate. Its a good thing the players are willing to work because Garcia plans to implement an entirely new offensive playbook to move away from the pound-on-the-ground style the Jaguars have predominately used recently. Dr. Joaquin Garcia High School will be the first new high school in the school district in about 16 years. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Learn about clinical trials that address specific scientific questions about human health and disease. In Guadalajaras Hermosa Provincia neighborhood, the headquarters of La Luz del Mundo, hundreds of worshipers walked to evening prayer Wednesday, a day like none other for Mexicos largest evangelical church. The victims spoke of how their delight at being invited into a secret inner circle with Garca quickly spun into an out-of-control nightmare of rape and other sexual abuse that they described at times in graphic detail. Hernandez, 45, said Garcia has taught her to be a good mother and instilled moral values in her two adult children, pointing to how theyve never tried alcohol. For these and other efforts, he received the Orden de Merito Civil, an order awarded by the King of Spain in recognition of civic virtues and extraordinary services. Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. Prosecutors have begun to make their case in court. The church's doctrine is learned from the cradle. It seems like it wasnt too long ago that Capital High School was wrapping up its football season with a bowl game against Piedra Vista, but the Jaguars are already hard at work getting ready for their second 2021 season. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. People are going to be surprised when they see what were running, he said. The jailed leader is the grandson of La Luz del Mundo's founder: Eusebio Joaqun Gonzlez, a member of the military who began preaching in 1926. This is where Garcia grew up and where church members began to settle in the 1950s under La Luz del Mundos first apostle, Garcias grandfather. 202-452-2775. joaquin.garcia-caboherrero@frb.gov. Many lifted their fists. Naasn Merar Joaqun Garca (born on May 7, 1969) is a Mexican religious leader and convicted child molester who is the third leader of the La Luz del Mundo church, succeeding his father, Samuel Joaqun Flores, in December 2014. Bible verses were twisted to make them comply. Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. Not even close. LOS ANGELES, California -- Worshippers gathered to pray at the La Luz del Mundo church in East Los Angeles Wednesday in the wake of the church's leader Joaqun Garca facing human trafficking and child rape charges. CBS Los Angeles reports the California Department of Justice arrested Garcia and two other members of the church, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo, in 2019. "The church weaponized the faith of their most vulnerable members," said Jonati Joey Yedidsion, one of the lawyers handling the lawsuit. Prosecutors said that the crimes dated back to at least 2015. I want to try new things.. She said she had served as Garcias servant and sex slave, forced to wash his clothes, scrub his toilet and perform a sex act on him every morning. "It has been a very difficult issue, of course, for him and for us," she added. Its male members favor suits and short hair, and female members wear veils that cover their hair and modest dresses. There are dozens of congregations in Southern California. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Since Garcia and his co-defendants were arrested, the main church in East LA has opened its doors. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. But theyve hit a snag, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Snowboarder dies at South Lake Tahoe resort, California to alter COVID rules in healthcare settings: Masks and vaccinations not required, Welcome to the world, baby Winter, born amid a snowstorm in Lake Arrowhead, Gripped by grace: Thousands gather for Bishop OConnells funeral Mass, Civilian oversight commission calls for sheriff to outlaw deputy gangs, ban their rituals. He initially faced more than 20 charges, but most were dismissed after a plea deal with prosecutors. It worked. Near the end of the call, Joaqun Garca asked his followers to raise their hands and their voices to God and repeat after him: "I promise you, Lord, that whatever the suffering, I will never abandon you.". Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. They prayed three times a day and sang songs to Garca. One woman said she had suicidal thoughts and another said she tried to kill herself several times. If Garca continued in his undercover role, he could have been the first undercover law enforcement officer to become a made man in a Mafia crime family. View the profiles of people named Joaqun Garcia Smith. In December 2014, he succeeded his father, Samuel Joaquin Flores, as the third pastor of the La Luz del Mundo church. Some knelt and wept. "I did cry, because I was saying, 'God, deliver me from this, make this time pass quickly,'" Haifa said from Texas. Beloved husband of 38 years to Miriam V. Garcia. Naason Joaquin Garcia claims that God ordained him to be the voice of the Gospel and lead an international flock through Light of the World Church. "I couldn't help but feel betrayed. Born: July 28, 1874; Montevideo, Uruguay Died: August 8, 1949; Montevideo, Uruguay Active Years: 1894 - 1949 Nationality: Spanish, Uruguayan ,, Genre: abstract, figurative Field: painting, sculpture, art theory Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaqun_Torres_Garca Official site: jtorresgarcia.com Order Oil Painting reproduction Nadie sabe muy bien cmo enfrentar este escenario complejo y doloroso, que incluye reiterados casos de abusos sexuales y de . Dr. Garcia is also the medical director of Mayo Clinic's Digital Pathology Program, an enterprisewide effort to revolutionize the practice of pathology by supplanting glass slides with digital images and deploying artificial intelligence at scale. The Associated Press contributed to this report. For Raquel Haifa, 43, fulfilling the revivals was a traumatizing experience that she considers abusive, because minors are not able to decline to take part. Please enter valid email address to continue. Prosecutors said he used his spiritual influence to have sex with several female followers and was aided by others in the church who facilitated the abuse. He knows us.. We plan on sharing the ball and spreading the ball around. We know him because hes walked our streets, has come into our homes. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. From the walls hang photographs of Joaqun Garca, smiling and wearing a tuxedo. Born in Argentina but raised in Los Angeles, Miller is a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia Universitys School of Journalism. The California attorney generals office, which is handling the case, charged two church members alongside Garcia. 1998-2023 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). They quickly responded they wouldnt. benefited both his football and later undercover careers. Alondra Ocampo, 38, and Susana Medina Oaxaca, 26, were accused of pressuring girls to engage in sexual activity with Garcia and telling them they would be violating Gods wishes if they resisted. To gasps of surprise, Joaqun Garca addressed the congregation by telephone from his Los Angeles prison, where he is serving a 16-year sentence. Join Facebook to connect with Joaqun Garcia Smith and others you may know. Even as his case proceeded through the courts and investigators described prurient allegations of girls being raped and photographed in sexual positions, Garcia has maintained the support of church officials and many congregants. Congregants pose for photos by an arrangement of flowers several dozen feet tall that forms the numbers 53 in honor of Garcias May birthday. "He speaks for God," said Ashley Valdez, a spokesman for the church. / CBS/AP. La Luz del Mundo, founded in 1926 by Garcias grandfather, has aggressively defended Garcia since his arrest. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Glen Rosales / For the Journal Ella is a dancer and choreographer, originally from Athens, GA. Congregation members in the neighborhood call each other "brother" and "sister" and take pride in helping one another. Whats happening is not new, said minister Cirilo Ramirez, 77. Parents give biblical names to their children and take them to the temple at 40 days old to promise they will guide them to follow their path. Please enter valid email address to continue. She had been prepared to testify against Garcia at trial. "You have to follow certain steps to prove your loyalty.". Held in jail on $90-million bail, Garcia faces many charges including human trafficking, rape and forcible oral copulation of a minor, and possession of child pornography. Signs on homes proudly assert support for Garcia. The more this is prolonged the more survivors are being silenced and feel that justice isnt being served, she said. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Also, a February federal lawsuit against the church and Joaqun Garca alleging that he and his father sexually abused a Southern California girl regularly from the time she was twelve until she was eighteen is still pending. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and authored several book chapters and books. The following year, they welcomed their first child, Aliyah Rose Smith. Attorneys for the leader of the La Luz del Mundo church said Friday that the so-called apostle of Jesus Christ is innocent of the multiple sex abuse charges he faces and is instead a victim of attempts by his enemies to disgrace his reputation. Man, woman shot in grocery store parking lot in SE Houston, police say, Armed carjacking suspect leads police on dangerous chase, Do not to buy Raspberry Rally cookies from eBay, Girl Scouts say. [7], Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo were also charged. During services, the women sit to the right and men to the left. On Friday, Los Angeles. 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 two years ago. They also raised concerns that jurors would be unable to assess witnesses credibility if they testify wearing masks, which are currently required under the courts pandemic rules. The second best result is Joaquin Garcia age 40s in Haines City, FL. The victims objected to the plea deal, saying they only learned about it at the last minute and were not consulted. in the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. [1], Joaqun Garca was born on May 7, 1969 in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, the fifth of seven children to Samuel Joaqun Flores and Eva Garca. Three women Alondra Ocampo, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Azalea Rangel Melendez had been accused of facilitating Garcias crimes. About School Grade: Enrollment: Grades: Choice: Opened: Dress Code: Mascot: Colors: School #: 1561 Region: For the most part, we have a good nucleus, he said. In 2019, the church's head, Naasn Joaqun Garca, faced 36 charges, including human trafficking, rape, child pornography, and forcible oral copulation of a minor, according to the Los . Yet, in that brief off-season, the Capital football program endured some upheaval that leaves it with a new coach, Joaquin Garcia. Well see each other again and itll be glorious! says a sign outside one. As he sentenced Garcia, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen called the church leader in an orange jail jumpsuit a sexual predator. Ive been a judge for a long time, he said. 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 two years ago. Garcias father, Samuel Joaquin Flores, raped Ocampo on a church trip to Guadalajara, Thiagarajah alleged. Garcas grandfather founded the Guadalajara-based fundamentalist Christian church, known by its English name, The Light of the World, in 1926. "I do not see the bars that separate me from you," he told his followers. revocar-registros-religiosos-de-njg-pederasta-confeso, On June 3, 2019, Joaqun Garca was arrested and charged by prosecutors from Los Angeles County with sexual abuse charges involving minors. Any links to websites provided herein are solely for ease and convenience, but HEC makes no warranties, express or implied, about any of the information contained therein. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. All rights reserved. Garca pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of a lewd act upon a child who was 15. She would target girls and bring them into his inner fold. Their families were threatened. La Luz del Mundo is sometimes described as evangelical, but its members do not embrace this term. [1] Contents 1 Background 2 FBI career 2.1 Operation Jack Falcone 3 Book Joaquin B. Garcia, MD, "Jack", 65, passed away peacefully on June 28, 2020. On Friday, Los Angeles Coutny Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen granted a request by Garcias attorneys to delay the trial, which had been scheduled to start this month.