A court judge in California declined to dismiss a case against the controversial Light of the World megachurch leader.
Naason Joaquin Garcia will still be held accountable for his alleged sex crimes after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus on Monday refused to dismiss the accusations against the controversial megachurch leader. Garcia, who leads the La Luz Del Mundo or Light of the World, and his attorneys argued in a 211-page motion filed on March 15 that the allegatins in the sex crimes case was based on fabricated evidence.
As per MyNewsLA.com, Judge Marcus agreed that the California Attorney General's Office should have provided evidence to Garcia's attorneys before the hearing in August 2020. However, the Los Angeles judge also argued that the defense had "not met the materiality requirement" for dismissal.
Megachurch Leader Accused of Grooming and Raping Underage Girls
Back in the summer of 2019, the 52 year old Garcia was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport and charged with forcible rape of a minor, production of child pornography, human trafficking, and other felony crimes committed between 2015 to 2019, the Christian Post reported. According to the criminal complaint filed against the megachurch leader, a group of girls were told that "they were going against God" if they did not abide by Garcia's desires.
However, Garcia's defense team argued in their motion that after reviewing more than 70,000 text messages, they found that some of the megachurch leader's accusers were "sexually active, angst-filled teenagers" who were taking drugs and alcohol and struggled with mental health. They also allegedly spoke about having sex with Garcia for money.
Garcia's defense also accused California Department of Justice Special Agent Joseph Cedusky of selecting information from the thousands of text messages that fit the criminal narrative against the megachurch leader.
Also read: California Prosecutors Fabricated Evidence Against Megachurch Pastor, Defense Says
La Luz Del Mundo Comes to the Defense of Naason Joaquin Garcia
"We have full confidence that the time will come when the innocence and honorability of the Apostle of Jesus Christ, Naason Joaquin, will be demonstrated, because the lie prevails only until the truth comes to light," a statement posted on the Facebook page of La Luz del Mundo announced on Monday.
In March, La Luz del Mundo released a statement lamenting over the U.S. judicial system, accusing it of failing to guarantee due process for Garcia's sex crimes case. The ministry argued that the megachurch leader's "basic rights" had not been granted and was "detained for almost three years without attainable bail." The ministry added that Garcia's rights had been "unjustly violated" and urged the court to dismiss all charges against him and free him immediately. Garcia's initial bail was set at $50 million but was later denied over fears that his congregation would raise funds to free the megachurch pastor and enable him to leave the U.S.
La Luz Del Mundo is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination headquartered in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and was founded by Aarón Joaquín González in 1926. The denomination has now spread to up to 58 countries all over the world.
Related article: Youth Pastor Arrested for Sending Nude Photos of Himself to Female Minor
