The leader of a Mexico-based church that claims to have a worldwide membership of more than a million people is set to be arraigned Monday on more than a dozen criminal charges including forcible rape of a minor, lewd act on a child and extortion.
Naason Joaquin Garcia, 50, is charged with one count each of forcible rape of a minor, lewd act on a child, forcible oral copulation of a person under 18, unlawful sexual intercourse and extortion, along with two counts of forcible rape, oral copulation of a person under 18 and conspiracy and three counts of forcible oral copulation.
The state Attorney General’s Office filed charges last Tuesday against Garcia, the leader of La Luz del Mundo, and three others in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that the crimes were committed in Southern California between June 2015 and April 2018.
Ashley Valdez, a spokesman for the church, vehemently denied the allegations against the man viewed by followers as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
“The church categorically rejects each and every allegation made against him,” Valdez said.
At a news conference Friday, Garcia’s attorney, Kenneth Rosenfeld, told reporters, “I am here because of false charges filed against Mr. Joaquin. This is not who this man is. This is not this man’s character. This is a high-tech hit job, what happened here. We will not rest, we will not stop until every allegation is systematically, methodically proved to be false that is leveled against the apostle.”
Garcia — who was arrested a week ago at Los Angeles International Airport — was being held in lieu of $50 million bail.
Also taken into custody were Alondra Ocampo, 36, who was jailed in lieu of $25 million bail, and Susana Medina Oaxaca, 24, who was being held in lieu of $5 million bail.
Ocampo is charged with 21 counts, including forcible rape of a minor, forcible oral copulation of a person under 18, human trafficking for production of child pornography and production/distribution of child pornography, while Oaxaca is charged with one count each of forcible oral copulation of a person under 18 and oral copulation of a person under 18.
A fourth defendant, Azalea Rangel Melendez, remains at large and is charged with one count each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation.
State prosecutors alleged that Garcia and his co-defendants coerced the victims into performing sexual acts by warning them that defying “the Apostle” is akin to defying God.
The criminal complaint alleges, among other acts, that Ocampo directed minors to perform “flirty” dances for Garcia “wearing as little clothing as possible.” Ocampo also allegedly ordered various minors to “take off their clothing and touch each other sexually.”
The complaint also alleges that Garcia kissed and groped a 15-year-old girl in his office, and that he and Ocampo forcibly raped an underage girl. Garcia, Ocampo and Oaxaca also allegedly performed sex acts on an underage girl, according to the complaint.
Ocampo also allegedly instructed three underage girls to take nude photos of themselves to send to Garcia, telling them to “take photos without their underwear and with their legs open.”
Church members gathered at the East Los Angeles congregation last Wednesday morning to participate in a 24-hour prayer period for Garcia.
“We have prayers for 24 hours as a way to ask God to manifest the innocence of the apostle of the Lord,” Valdez said.
A church member told NBC4 he questions the charges.
“I have known him (Garcia) for a long time,” the man said. “I have only seen him act decent and clean with a lot of respect.”
r nbx BC-Budget
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, BROADCAST OR DISTRIBUTION
BUDGET FOR MONDAY, JUNE 10
By City News Service
(++New or updated item)
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – Arraignment is scheduled for Naason Joaquin Garcia, the leader of a Mexico-based evangelical church that claims to have a worldwide membership of more than 1 million people. The head of La Luz del Mundo, which has about 40 locations in Southern California and was founded by the defendant’s grandfather, is charged with crimes including forcible rape of a minor, conspiracy, extortion and child porn. He is charged along with three female co-defendants, Alondra Ocampo, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Azalea Rangel Melendez. Dept. 30, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7730.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Kirkland Kauzava Washington, Richard Howard, Rose Makeda Sweeney, Christopher Joseph Williams and Norman Hall, who are charged in a voter fraud scheme in which money and cigarettes were allegedly offered to homeless people on Skid Row in exchange for false and forged signatures on ballot petitions and voter registration forms. Also charged are Harold Bennett, Louis Thomas Wise, Jakara Fati Mardis and Nickey Demelvin Huntley. Dept. 30, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7730.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Mohamed Abdi Mohamed, a Seattle man who allegedly yelled anti-Semitic remarks and tried to run over two men outside a synagogue in a Jewish neighborhood in the Wilshire area. He is charged with two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, along with a hate crime allegation. Dept. 127, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7427.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Kenneth Ray Matthews, who is charged with the 1977 murder of a 25-year-old mother of two in her South Los Angeles home. Dept. 131, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7431.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Albert Sanchez, who is charged with two counts of unlawful storage of a firearm for allegedly leaving firearms unsecured in the family’s Pacoima home. Dept. 52, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: court’s Public Information Office, 213-830-0815.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – Further proceedings are scheduled for Pedro Vasquez, who was convicted of killing two brothers at a county park in East Los Angeles. A state appeals court panel ordered the case to be sent back to the trial court as a result of a new state law that gives judges the discretion to strike certain firearm enhancements. Dept. 102, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7402.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Pharuehat Wilaisophakun, a motorist accused of fleeing the scene of a crash and then leading police on a chase through the Hollywood area, striking civilian vehicles and police cars along the way. Dept. 36, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7736.
8:30 a.m. LOS ANGELES – A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jose Emanuel Raselbach, who is charged with fatally stabbing his father and injuring another family member in a West Hollywood apartment. Dept. W31, Airport Branch Courthouse, 11701 S. La Cienega Blvd. Contact: 310-725-3041.
8:30 a.m. TORRANCE – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Alexander Bell-Wilson and Korey Oscar Benjamin Streeter, who are charged with beating and robbing an autistic man inside a Rolling Hills Estates mall parking structure. Dept. 4, Torrance Courthouse, 825 Maple Ave. Contact: 310-222-3708.
8:30 a.m. SAN FERNANDO – A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Christian Alexander Ortiz, who is charged with murdering his boyfriend, a 20-year-old UC San Diego student, in Santa Clarita. Dept. E, San Fernando Courthouse, 900 Third St. Contact: 818-256-1823.
8:30 a.m. SAN FERNANDO – A sanity hearing is scheduled for David Artiaga, who is accused of starting a brush fire in Neenach that burned about 13 acres. Dept. I, San Fernando Courthouse, 900 Third St. Contact: court’s Public Information Office, 213-830-0815.
8:30 a.m. LANCASTER – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Deonta Darnell Johnson Jr., who is charged in the shooting death of a Lancaster convenience store clerk. Dept. A11, Lancaster Courthouse, 42011 4th Street West. Contact: 661-483-5511.
8:30 a.m. LONG BEACH – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Davon Thomas, who is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in her San Pedro home. Dept. S18, Long Beach Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Ave. Contact: 562-256-1495.
8:30 a.m. LONG BEACH – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Cleveland Monte Rogers, who is charged with murdering a 67-year-old man in an attack at the victim’s home. Dept. S18, Long Beach Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Ave. Contact: 562-256-1495.
8:30 a.m. LONG BEACH – A mental competency status conference is scheduled for Ernest Weston, an elderly man charged with fatally stabbing his roommate in Long Beach on New Year’s Eve. Dept. S18, Long Beach Courthouse, 275 Magnolia Ave. Contact: 562-256-1495.
8:30 a.m. PASADENA – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Alex Evans, who is charged with fatally stabbing his 67-year-old mother in Pasadena. Dept. J, Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St. Contact: 626-396-3305.
8:30 a.m. POMONA – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Douglas Rivera, a pastor charged with committing a lewd act on an 11-year-old girl visiting from China. Dept. F, Pomona Courthouse, 400 Civic Center Plaza. Contact: 909-802-1123.
8:30 a.m. ALHAMBRA – A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Moises Garcia, who is charged with murdering a 26-year-old man during a fight in Monterey Park. Dept. 1, Alhambra Courthouse, 150 W. Commonwealth Ave. Contact: 626-293-2101.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A status conference is scheduled in producer George Zakk’s lawsuit against Vin Diesel. Zakk alleges Diesel owes him $275,000 and a film credit for his work on a sequel to the film “xXx.” The two had a prior business relationship in the production company One Race Films, but they split in 2007. Dept. 58, County Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St. Contact: court clerk, 213-633-0658.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – Sentencing is scheduled for Christopher Clay Roman-Tuttle, a former West Covina resident who pleaded guilty to creating and publishing an advertisement that sought to exchange sexually explicit images of children on a Russian photo-sharing website frequently used to trade child pornography. Courtroom 9A, U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. First St. Contact: Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 213-894-6947.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – Arraignment is scheduled for Gustavo Gonzalez, a Downey man charged with selling sick puppies — most of whom died — to families throughout Southern California. He is charged with cruelty to an animal, residential burglary, grand theft and petty theft. Dept. 30, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7730.
8:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Tasma Brown, who allegedly stabbed a man to death and led police on a slow-speed chase in South Los Angeles with a child inside the vehicle. Dept. 30, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7730.
8:30 a.m. NORWALK – Trial is scheduled for Jeffrey Ardonal Johnson, who is charged with the stabbing death of a 24-year-old man in Bellflower. Dept. G, Norwalk Courthouse, 12720 Norwalk Blvd. Contact: 562-345-3704.
8:30 a.m. LANCASTER – Trial is scheduled for Rafael Barragan, who is charged with fatally stabbing his wife in Lancaster. Dept. A18, Lancaster Courthouse, 42011 4th Street West. Contact: 661-483-5518.
8:30 a.m. VAN NUYS – A preliminary hearing date is scheduled to be set for Nick Vedol Lopez, who is charged with killing his wife, who was found stabbed to death in the closet of her North Hollywood apartment. Dept. 120, Van Nuys Courthouse, 14400 Erwin Street Mall. Contact: 818-989-6820.
8:30 a.m. SAN FERNANDO – A trial-readiness conference is scheduled for Jonathan Blake Heely, a Saugus man charged with sex-related counts involving two female family members. Jurors deadlocked in his first trial. Dept. F, San Fernando Courthouse, 900 Third St. Contact: 818-256-1813.
9 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – Sentencing is expected for Anthony Ingram. The South Los Angeles gang member was convicted of federal charges linked to a conspiracy that included acts of robbery, witness intimidation and narcotics sales on behalf of the gang. Courtroom 10C, U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. First St. Contact: Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 213-894-6947.
9 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A motions hearing is scheduled for Jose Loza, the lead defendant in an updated racketeering indictment targeting Canta Ranas, a Santa Fe Springs-based street gang allegedly responsible for the murder of a rival gangster and the attempted murder of a Whittier police officer. Courtroom 8A, U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. First St. Contact: Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 213-894-6947.
9 a.m. ROLLING HILLS ESTATES – The Los Angeles Galaxy will present the 2019 L.A. Galaxy Golf Tournament at Rolling Hills Country Club. Tournament proceeds will support the L.A. Galaxy Foundation’s activation of its L.A. Galaxy Champion Project, which will provide soccer-based learning. Registration and breakfast will begin at 9 a.m.; shotgun start will be at 10 a.m.; cocktail reception will follow at 4 p.m. Rolling Hills Country Club, 1 Chandler Ranch Road. Contact: Brendan Hannan, Galaxy, 720-937-8962 or bhannan@lagalaxy.com; Chris Glidden, Galaxy, 561-459-0025 or cglidden@lagalaxy.com.
9 a.m. PORTER RANCH – The North Valley Family YMCA will hold the 30th Kids to Camp Golf Tournament in support of camp scholarships for at-risk youth and the year-round camping program. Registration will begin at 9 a.m.; shogun start will be at 11 a.m.; awards dinner will begin at 5 p.m. YMCA, 11336 Corbin Ave. Contact: YMCA, 818-368-3231.
9:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – Trial is scheduled in a lawsuit brought by Lt. Renato Moreno and three other members of the Beverly Hills Police Department, who allege they were subjected to harassment and discrimination by Chief Sandra Spagnoli. Dept. 39, County Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St. Contact: court clerk, 213-633-0159.
9:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – Testimony is scheduled to continue in the trial of Michael Gargiulo, who is charged in the stabbing deaths of two women, including a woman who was set to go to a Grammy Awards party with actor Ashton Kutcher. Gargiulo also is charged with trying to kill a woman during a robbery at her Santa Monica home. Dept. 106, Criminal Courts Building, 210 W. Temple St. Contact: 213-628-7406.
10 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A motions hearing is scheduled in a lawsuit filed by the widow and three daughters of Edward Mello against Linda Jean Pawlik, the estranged wife of “Star Trek” actor Robert Picardo. The suit alleges Pawlik suspected Mello of stealing from her and set up his 2014 fatal shooting in a Woodland Hills hotel room, allegedly by Jorge Rodriguez. The alleged gunman was introduced to Pawlik by her accountant. Dept. 5, Spring Street Courthouse, 312 N. Spring St. Contact: court clerk, 213-310-7005.
10 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A change of plea/sentencing hearing is scheduled for Tatia Clark. The former office manager of United Steelworkers Local 2801 is expected to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of hiding or destroying records linked to the theft of about $16,000 from the Signal Hill-based union. She will also be sentenced. Courtroom 5D, U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. First St. Contact: Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 213-894-6947.
10 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – Sentencing is scheduled for Carlos A. Zepeda, one of about three dozen suspected Los Angeles-based members and associates of the street gang Mara Salvatrucha — commonly called MS-13 — charged in a federal racketeering indictment. Zepeda pleaded guilty to conspiracy and drug charges. Courtroom 5D, U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. First St. Contact: Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 213-894-6947.
10:30 a.m. CIVIC CENTER – A scheduling hearing is set in litigation brought by Daniel Canizales against the city of South Gate. Canizales alleges his civil rights were violated by South Gate police officers who he claims shot him 16 times without cause. Courtroom 9A, U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. First St. Contact: Luis Carrillo, attorney for plaintiff, 626-799-9375.
11 a.m. LONG BEACH – Councilman Rex Richardson will unveil street banners of 2019 Jordan High School graduates who will be attending four-year universities, community college or joining the armed forces. Five students who are awardees of the third annual North Long Beach Education Fund “Allen Alevy Student Empowerment Scholarship” will be recognized during the program, contact says. JHS, 6500 Atlantic Ave. Contact: Shawna Stevens, Richardson’s office, 562-570-6137 or shawna.stevens@longbeach.gov.
Noon LOS ANGELES – Women residing at the Midnight Mission’s Crisis and Bridge Housing Center will be treated to “A Day of Beauty” featuring makeup artists from MAC Cosmetics. The women will be give complimentary makeovers, personalized beauty attention, gift bags with beauty items and desserts catered by Beard Papa. MM Women’s Crisis and Bridge Housing Center, 601 S. San Pedro St. Contact: Georgia Berkovich, MM, 310-383-1795 or gberkovich@midnightmission.org.
Noon CIVIC CENTER – The Rev. David Gallardo, pastor of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, will celebrate a special Mass to honor the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Hundreds of Catholic school students are expected to attend. 555 W. Temple St. Contact: Adrian Alarcon, archdiocese, 323-682-1770 or amalarcon@la-archdiocese.org; Itzel Magana, archdiocese, 213-454-8160 or imagana@la-archdiocese.org.
1:30 p.m. CIVIC CENTER – A motions hearing is expected in litigation brought by the United States against the city of Los Angeles and the CRA/LA — formerly the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency — alleging that together they fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in housing grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by falsely certifying that the money was being spent in compliance with federal accessibility laws. Courtroom 6A, U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. First St. Contact: Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 213-894-6947.
1:30 p.m. CIVIC CENTER – A motions hearing is expected for Oriyomi Sadiq Aloba. The Houston man is charged with hacking into the Los Angeles state court computer system to steal online account information from employees. Courtroom 850, Roybal Federal Building, 255 E. Temple St. Contact: Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 213-894-6947.
2 p.m. CIVIC CENTER – The Los Angeles City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee will meet. Routine agenda. City Hall, Room 1010, 200 N. Spring St. Contact: Andrew Choi, legislative assistant to the board, 213-978-1080.
3 p.m. CIVIC CENTER – Sentencing is set for Carol Ann Pedersen, a Long Beach tax preparer who pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with a Ponzi scheme that bilked $40 million from investors. Courtroom 8C, U.S. Courthouse, 350 W. First St. Contact: Thom Mrozek, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 213-894-6947.
++6:30 p.m. SAN MARINO – Citizens for Safe San Marino will hold a press conference in opposition to what they say is the city of San Marino’s bid to join Metro in routing regional freeway traffic to surface streets in surrounding cities, including San Marino. San Marino Public Library, 1890 Huntington Drive. Contact: Ghassan Roumani; 626-786-7018.
7 p.m. CULVER CITY – The city council will meet. The agenda includes discussion on the police and fire departments’ Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Policy. Mike Balkman Council Chamber, 9770 Culver Blvd. Contact: city.clerk@culvercity.org.
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