Leader of La Luz del Mundo church charged with child rape

The leader and self-proclaimed apostle of La Luz del Mundo, a church based in Mexico, is charged with child rape, human trafficking and producing child pornography in California.

The church, which claims over a million followers, has locations around California, including one in Salinas.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra says Joaquin Garcia was arrested and charged with committing 26 felonies in Southern California between 2015 an 2018.

The charges filed say Garcia and some others coerced minors into performing sex acts. They allege that the suspects told the minors that refusing would be going against God.

Garcia is being held on $25 million bail.

A spokesman from the La Luz del Mundo headquarters in Guadalajara says, “We categorically deny those false accusations. We know him personally, and he is an honorable and honest man.”

The church has faced child sex abuse allegations for several years, but criminal charges have never been filed.