The victims of convicted sex offender Naasón Joaquín García get the chance to be heard in a new Netflix documentary on the leader of the Guadalajara-based Luz del Mundo Chuch released last month.
After a plea bargain deal in June of last year, Joaquín García, 54, pleaded guilty to four offenses of child sexual abuse and was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison.
The case against the church leader, who is considered to be an apostle of God by the followers of this 97-year-old evangelical religion started by his grandfather, was brought by California prosecutors thanks to five “Jane Does” who bravely came forward to denounce his crimes.
All had been prepared to testify in court but were denied that opportunity due to the agreement Joaquin García’s lawyers reached with prosecutors. This documentary tries to put that to right.
Joaquin García, who ascended to his position after the death of his father in 2014, was a figurehead who could do no wrong in the eyes of his devoted followers. His pampered childhood continued into adulthood, and like a Roman emperor, every detail of his life was diligently taken care of, often by young women who believed they were doing God’s work by pandering to his servant on Earth. But as the Jane Does explain in the documentary, these duties often included sexual favors; some of his victims were as young as 13.
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