Overview

• A federal grand jury in New York charged Naasón Joaquín García and five others with racketeering, sex trafficking and child exploitation tied to alleged abuse within La Luz del Mundo.
• Federal agents took García into custody at the state prison in Chino, California, where he is serving a more than 16‑year sentence after a 2022 guilty plea to state sexual‑abuse charges.
• Authorities arrested García’s mother, Eva García de Joaquín, in Los Angeles and his nephew, Joram Núñez Joaquín, near Chicago, while three co‑defendants are believed to be in Mexico and are sought for arrest and extradition.
• The indictment alleges a decades‑long scheme that used religious authority to sexually exploit children and women, produce child sexual abuse material, engage in forced labor and conduct illegal financial transactions.
• Prosecutors say members intimidated victims, destroyed evidence and pressured false statements after García’s 2019 arrest, following a multi‑year, nationwide investigation led by SDNY with HSI and IRS‑CI and supported by dozens of victims.