Two candidates tied to the religious organization La Luz del Mundo won seats in Jalisco’s federal judicial elections on June 1.
In May, the NGO Defensorxs flagged them as “highly risky” due to their ties to the group, whose leader, Naasón Joaquín García, is serving a 16-year U.S. prison sentence for child sexual abuse and pornography.
Eluzai Rafael Aguilar, elected as a Criminal Judge in Circuit 3’s 4th District, teaches at schools in Hermosa Provincia, La Luz del Mundo’s Guadalajara stronghold. Defensorxs notes her father is a bishop who continued to praise Joaquín García after his arrest.
Madián Sinaí Menchaca Sierra won as an administrative judge in District 1. Her father, Bishop Nicolás Menchaca, allegedly offered hush money to Joaquín García’s victims, per sworn testimony. Defensorxs also claims she was arrested in May 2024 for a drunk-driving collision.