Naasón Joaquín García, the head of the Mexican megachurch La Luz del Mundo aka The Light of the World, is currently serving a prison sentence in California for sexually abusing young followers. He now faces fresh federal charges related to child pornography, according to prosecutors.

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has indicted Naasón Joaquín García, 54, on two counts, specifically, possessing and producing child pornography, as confirmed by a statement from the U.S. attorney's office.

The charges stem from an incident in 2019 when García was arrested in California. At that time, authorities discovered an iPad in his possession containing five videos that depicted a 16-year-old girl engaging in sexual activities, as detailed in the statement.

The U.S. attorney's office clarified, "We did not indict until after the state case was finished," indicating that these charges follow the conclusion of the state case.

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Mexican Megachurch 

The megachurch claims 5 million followers worldwide. And believers regard Garcia as the "apostle" of Jesus Christ. 

Prosecutors in California allege that García exploited his spiritual influence to engage in sexual activities with young girls and women. He was coercing them with promises of salvation and threatening them with damnation.

The judge said García was using religion as “invisible handcuffs” to exploit his victims.

Efforts to obtain a comment from the church regarding the new federal charges were not successful at the time of reporting.

Currently, García is serving his prison sentence at the California Institution for Men in Chino. In the previous year, he pleaded guilty to two state charges of forcible oral copulation involving minors and one count of committing a lewd act on a 15-year-old.

Guilty Plea

The church defended García's decision to plead guilty, asserting that he believed he would not receive a fair trial due to evidence withholding or tampering by prosecutors, and that this plea agreement would facilitate his earlier release.

In exchange for his plea, California prosecutors dropped 16 counts, including allegations of child and women rape and human trafficking for child pornography production. 

However, victims who spoke during García's trial expressed their disapproval of the plea deal, claiming it’s too lenient for the gravity of the offenses.

If found guilty on the federal charges, Naasón Joaquín García could face a federal prison sentence of 15 to 30 years for producing child pornography and an additional sentence of up to 10 years for possessing it.

 The ultimate decision regarding whether the sentences would be served concurrently or consecutively would rest with the judge, according to the U.S. attorney's office.