Naason Joaquín Garciab was arrested at the airport in Los Angeles, California, in June 2019. He is currently charged on more than 30 counts, including possession of child pornography, human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors and extortion.
Just on March 21, the Church of the Light of the World demanded Nahson's immediate release, after his defense filed a motion claiming that the California Prosecutor's Office conducted incriminating evidence against him.
It should be recalled that just on March 15, a 211-page motion was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court by defense attorney Alan Jackson, claiming that the California Prosecutor's Office “fabricated incriminating evidence, created reports based on false evidence, erased and concealed exculpatory evidence.”
This led to the position of the organization, which requested the release of its leader through a statement.
Similar accusations emerged in September last year, so the trial ended up being rescheduled for May 2022.
Thus, the Church of Light assured that “based on the motion submitted it is clear that his constitutional rights have been unjustly violated”, putting this as the main reason why he should be released.
It should be reiterated that this religious entity, like its leader, has been surrounded by controversies, investigations and allegations: in December 2020, the Financial Intelligence Unit filed five complaints against it. Illicit enrichment, money laundering, transfers to tax havens and the purchase of luxury goods and services were some of the alerts issued by the unit.
The attorney general of California, Xavier Becerra, has even said that he is a “madman.” The leader, of the Church of Light, today behind bars of a prison in California, is accused, along with three accomplices, of multiple crimes.
Since having carried out harassment of minors, touching and rape. In total, there are more than 30 crimes in total, including child pornography and trafficking in persons, committed between 2015 and 2018. The bail to be able to leave is 50 million dollars, one of the highest in history.
This, as explained at the time by the prosecutor in charge of the case, because there was a suspicion that his followers would seek to pay the fine.
Nassón Joaquín continues to be the leader of La Luz del Mundo church and one of the most powerful ministers of worship in Mexico. He is the third apostle of the congregation after succeeding his father Samuel in power after his death on December 14, 2014.
Only in September 2020 did the man plead not guilty to the crimes charged against him. So far he remains imprisoned in the United States.
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