On September 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a sweeping federal indictment in Manhattan that sent shockwaves through religious communities on both sides of the border. Six senior leaders of La Luz del Mundo, a Mexico-based megachurch claiming millions of followers worldwide, now face federal charges of racketeering, child pornography, and sex trafficking. Among those indicted: the church’s current "apostle," Naasón Joaquín García, his 79-year-old mother Eva García de Joaquín, and four close associates.
The charges, detailed in a 54-page indictment, depict a pattern of systematic sexual abuse and exploitation spanning generations of the church’s ruling family. Prosecutors allege that García, his late father Samuel Joaquín Flores, and grandfather Aarón Joaquin Gonzalez—La Luz del Mundo’s founder—used their positions at the top of the church’s hierarchy to prey on followers, aided by relatives and trusted staff. According to NPR, the indictment claims, "On at least one occasion, [Samuel’s wife Eva García de Joaquín] held down a minor victim so that Samuel could rape the victim."
García, 56, is no stranger to the criminal justice system. He is already serving a 16-year, 8-month prison sentence in California after a 2022 plea deal on state sex abuse charges. On the day the federal indictment was unsealed, authorities transferred García into federal custody. That same day, his mother was arrested in Los Angeles. Joram Núñez Joaquín, a 37-year-old relative and law school graduate accused of silencing victims and destroying evidence, was apprehended near Chicago. The remaining three defendants—Silem García Peña, 43, who led the church’s public relations arm; Rosa Sosa, 59; and Azalia Rangel García, 46—are believed to be at large in Mexico, according to LAist.
The indictment’s allegations are harrowing. Prosecutors say victims, some as young as 13, were trafficked internationally—to Asia, Europe, Africa, Mexico, and the United States—where they were sexually abused and, in some cases, forced to participate in incestuous acts while wearing masks so they wouldn’t realize the identities of their abusers. Federal authorities allege that the church’s leaders coerced members into sexual acts under the guise of religious service, threatening them with eternal damnation for resistance. As reported by the New York Post, the indictment claims García and his lieutenants "coerced church members into sexual abuse under the guise of religious service while threatening eternal damnation for resistance."
The trauma did not end with a single generation. Prosecutors allege that many girls and women abused by one leader remained in the congregation and became mothers of the next leader’s victims. The church, based in Guadalajara, Mexico, but with substantial operations in the U.S.—including a large church and several residences in Los Angeles—claims more than 6 million followers and a presence in over 60 countries. However, U.S. prosecutors say reliable membership numbers are unavailable.
For survivors, the unsealing of the federal indictment marked a bittersweet milestone. Sochil Martin, 39, a former church member who has cooperated with authorities, told NPR that her own aunt, now in her 60s, was assaulted by Samuel and his wife as a teenager. Martin described the day the indictment was announced as "a good day for her" aunt. "Even though Samuel left this world and didn’t pay his debt to society and to the kids that he abused, at least his wife is now living to see that day. And that’s a form of justice for a lot of survivors."
Prosecutors say the church’s leadership exploited the faith of their followers to perpetuate abuse and then leveraged their religious influence and financial power to intimidate and silence victims. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, announcing the charges, said, "They exploited the faith of their followers to prey upon them. When they were confronted, they leveraged their religious influence and financial power to intimidate and coerce victims into remaining silent about the abuse they had suffered."
Federal agents searching the García family’s two adjoining homes in East Los Angeles uncovered more than $1 million in cash, gold coins, platinum pieces, luxury watches, and jewelry. According to court filings cited by LAist, a trapdoor under a bed in Eva García de Joaquín’s house led to a hidden compartment containing a built-in safe. Inside, officers found about $220,000 in cash, jewelry, a jade-wrapped USB drive, and more gold coins. Prosecutors argue that the family has "access to vast internationally accessible wealth" and are seeking the forfeiture of multiple properties, including three homes in Los Angeles and a rural estate in San Bernardino County, California.
The indictment also paints a picture of a tightly controlled religious organization with a rigid hierarchy. Jennifer Tiexiera, director of the HBO documentary Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo, told NPR, "The power that they wield is extreme. The members believe that that’s the direct connection to God himself." Former members who spoke out against the church described being ostracized and threatened with violence. Martin, the survivor and advocate, stated bluntly, "It is the mafia. That’s what it is. And it’s disguised as a church." Tiexiera emphasized that most rank-and-file members are sincere in their faith, telling the Los Angeles Times, "It’s not the membership that’s wholly corrupt. It’s the hierarchy. And that breaks my heart."
Not everyone agrees with the prosecution’s assessment, however. García’s defense attorney, Alan Jackson, issued a forceful denial of the charges, calling them "a rehashing of old, recycled claims that have been made before, scrutinized before, and ultimately debunked and disproven before." He accused the government of a "reckless campaign of government overreach" and vowed to prove the charges are "desperate, unfounded, recycled and driven by ulterior motives." Jackson has stated, "We categorically deny these charges. We reject the grotesque portrait painted by the government and its allies."
The case, now assigned to District Judge Loretta Preska in New York’s Southern District Court—a judge who has also presided over high-profile sex-trafficking cases related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell—remains ongoing. According to Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, dozens of victims have already come forward, and the investigation continues. Patel urged, "I thank the brave survivors who provided law enforcement with vital information related to these allegations, and I encourage others with helpful information to do the same."
La Luz del Mundo’s leadership faces a long legal battle ahead. The criminal proceedings promise to test the church’s vast resources and the resolve of survivors seeking justice after decades of silence. As the case unfolds, the story of La Luz del Mundo serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked power within insular communities—and the courage required to confront it.
