A Los Angeles judge ordered this Monday that the trial against Naasón Joaquín García, leader of the La Luz del Mundo (LLDM) church, who faces 19 charges that include sexual abuse of minors and child pornography, should begin on June 6.
Judge Stephen A. Marcus ordered today that the trial against the religious leader begin on June 6, in response to a request from the California Attorney General’s Office that said it was “ready.”
With this decision, the trial date is again postponed, since in September of last year the date of May 9, 2022 had been given as the day on which the process would begin.
For its part, the defense of the religious leader failed today in a new attempt to annul the charges against Joaquín García on the grounds that the Prosecutor’s Office manipulated the evidence.
Judge Marcus denied the motion filed last March, with which the defense hoped to obtain the release of the accused, who has been detained for almost three years.
Joaquín García was arrested on June 3, 2019 along with one of his assistants, Susana Medina Oaxaca, after they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport in a private jet.
The so-called “Apostle” was accused on that occasion of more than 25 charges that included rape, sexual abuse and lewd acts with minors.
Medina, Alondra Ocampo and Azalea Rangel Meléndez, the latter with a search and arrest warrant issued against her, are also accused in the case.
Ocampo pleaded guilty to four counts in October 2020. It is unclear whether the prosecution will use the woman’s testimony against the religious leader.
The number of accusations against Joaquín García has been changing over the years and he is currently detained for 19 charges of sexual abuse of minors, child pornography and human trafficking.
His bail value has also fluctuated, and is now set at $90 million, the highest in California history.
The trial against Joaquín García should have started in 2020 but the coronavirus pandemic and various strategies of his defense have delayed the start of what is predicted to be a media process.
Despite the nature of the accusations and the evidence presented in preliminary hearings against the religious leader, his faithful around the world remain steadfast by his side.
Adoraim Joaquín Zamora, son of Joaquín García and his possible successor in the leadership of the religious organization, appeared at the hearing this Monday, according to Univisión journalist Isaías Alvarado.
The non-Trinitarian Christian church La Luz del Mundo, which has its international headquarters in Guadalajara, Mexico, was founded in 1926 by Aarón Joaquín, Naasón’s grandfather. It is currently present in 60 countries and says up to 5 million followers.
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