US Prosecutors Allege Mexican Megachurch Leaders Ran Decades-Long Sex-Trafficking Ring

US Prosecutors Allege Mexican Megachurch Leaders Ran Decades-Long Sex-Trafficking Ring

 

NEW YORK – Leaders of La Luz del Mundo (LLDM) Church, a Guadalajara-based evangelical megachurch, are accused by US prosecutors of operating a multi-generational sex-trafficking and racketeering enterprise that spanned nearly a century, exploiting vulnerable children and women.

New documents unsealed in a Manhattan federal court outline charges against the current “Apostle,” Naasón Joaquín García, and five co-defendants, including his mother, Eva García de Joaquín. Prosecutors allege the family perpetuated a “deeply disturbing tradition” of abuse against devout followers, often by leveraging church doctrine.

 

Systemic Abuse Under the Guise of Blessings

 

Prosecutors claim that since its founding nearly 100 years ago, the church’s patriarchs—from founder Eusebio “Aaron” Joaquín Gonzalez, to his son Samuel Joaquín Flores, and now to his grandson Naasón—used their positions for systemic sexual abuse.

• The church’s core doctrine, which mandates that members follow the Apostle’s teachings for eternal salvation and warns of God’s punishment for defiance, was allegedly used to coerce victims.
• The patriarchs allegedly tricked girls and young women into believing they could receive a “special” blessing by engaging in sexual activity with the Apostle.
• Prosecutors state that Naasón’s victims include the daughters of women his father, Samuel, allegedly abused, demonstrating a generational cycle of predation.
• Naasón’s mother, Eva García de Joaquín, is accused of facilitating this abuse, including “grooming” minors and young women for her husband’s and later her son’s sexual exploitation.

 

Money Laundering and a High-Rolling Lifestyle

 

The indictment further alleges that church leaders embezzled member donations—called “love offerings”—to fund their abuse and a lavish lifestyle:

• Financial Misuse: Funds were allegedly spent on items like masks, costumes, and sex toys used in the creation of child sexual abuse imagery. They also allegedly bought cleaning supplies to eliminate evidence of their crimes.
• Luxury Assets: The family used donations to purchase “luxury cars, watches, designer clothing, and first-class travel.” Samuel and Eva allegedly exploited members’ free labor to build a sprawling, gold-adorned mansion in Los Angeles that congregants nicknamed the “Versace” house.
• Hidden Wealth: When agents searched the homes of Naasón and Eva, they found more than $1 million in cash and gold. Eva’s house even contained a “trap door hidden underneath a bed” leading to a safe with $220,000 and jewelry.

Naasón, who is already serving a sentence in California for state-level sexual abuse convictions, was brought to New York to face these new federal charges, including racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking conspiracy, which carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty.

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