California prosecutors have refiled rape charges against the leader of the Guadalajara-based Luz del Mundo church after a judge threw out the original charges in July, citing procedural errors.
Joaquín García Naasón and two alleged accomplices – Alondra Ocampo and Susana Medina – face 36 charges, including sexual abuse, lewd acts against a minor and extortion.
In the new indictment, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra cited five female victims, including a new one identified as “Jane Doe 5” who reportedly suffered sexual abuse between February 2016 and November 2017.
García Naasón is the spiritual leader of the evangelical church founded by his grandfather. It claims to have five million followers worldwide.
He has remained in the Los Angeles country jail even after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George Lomeli dismissed the first set of charges two months ago.