The Brief

Six leaders of the Mexico-based La Luz del Mundo megachurch — including its current "apostle," Naasón Joaquín García, his mother and four associates — are facing federal charges of racketeering, child pornography and sex trafficking, under a recently unsealed indictment. Maximum penalties for some of the offenses include life in prison.

García, 56, has been serving a 16-year, 8-month prison sentence in California, after reaching a plea deal in 2022 on state sex abuse charges.

García was moved into federal custody on Wednesday, authorities said as the indictment was unsealed. On the same day, his mother, 79-year-old Eva García de Joaquín, was arrested in Los Angeles. His attorney says that García is innocent.

"We categorically deny these charges," García's defense attorney Alan Jackson said in a statement to NPR. "We reject the grotesque portrait painted by the government and its allies."

Get the backstory: The power of La Luz Del Mundo’s 'apostle' — even behind bars

Survivors hail 'a good day' 

Prosecutors claim the family that has led La Luz del Mundo — or "Light of the World" — for nearly 100 years also used it to facilitate sexual abuse across successive generations. The indictment alleges that García, his late father, Samuel Joaquín Flores, and grandfather Aarón Joaquin Gonzalez, who founded the church, systematically abused their followers, aided by relatives and employees.

"On at least one occasion, [Samuel's wife Eva García de Joaquín] held down a minor victim so that Samuel could rape the victim," the indictment alleges.

In many cases, girls and women abused by one leader remained in the church and became the mothers of the next leader's victims, prosecutors claim.

"So many survivors have been speaking up now" from Mexico and the U.S., Sochil Martin, 39, a former church member who has cooperated with authorities investigating García, tells NPR.

Martin says the church's elite oversaw generations of abuse, noting that her aunt, who is now in her 60s, says she was assaulted by Samuel and his wife when she was a teenager. Now the apostles' victims are welcoming news of the federal charges, she says.

"It was a good day for her," Martin says of her aunt's reaction. "Even though Samuel left this world and didn't pay his debt to society and to the kids that he abused, at least his wife is now living to see that day. And that's a form of justice for a lot of survivors."

Court documents lay out depraved crimes 

In a search of Los Angeles homes belonging to Naasón Joaquín García and his mother, Eva García de Joaquín, officers seized "well over $1 million in U.S. currency," along with foreign cash and a trove of valuables, according to federal prosecutors.

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In federal court filings, prosecutors claim García engaged in depraved and unspeakable acts against minor boys and girls and women, including rape, forced incest and what are described as "sadistic sexual rituals for his sexual gratification."

Arguing against bail for those in custody, prosecutors said in a memo that García, widely called Naasón, and others "victimized at least dozens of minor and adult LLDM Church members in Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere." Some victims were as young as 13, the document stated. It added that the leaders trafficked victims on international trips to Asia, Europe, Africa, Mexico, and the U.S. — and used the victims to help smuggle money.

Along with García and his mother, the indictment lists four other defendants:

• Joram Núñez Joaquín, 37, a relative and law school graduate. He's accused of posing as a practicing lawyer, silencing victims and witnesses, and destroying evidence;
• Silem García Peña, 43, who led the church's public relations arm and allegedly worked to prevent victims from reporting abuse;
• Rosa Sosa, 59, and Azalia Rangel García, 46, both accused of "grooming" victims and abusing minors and young women.

Núñez Joaquín was arrested on Wednesday outside Chicago; the other three defendants are believed to be at large in Mexico.

Jackson, the defense attorney, says the allegations against García are unfounded and part of a "reckless campaign of government overreach." He says the charges stem from disgruntled former congregation members, and predicts that they will be disproven in court.

Search turns up a safe hidden under a trap door

At Eva García de Joaquín's home, law enforcement officers found a trapdoor in a bedroom that concealed an underground safe and a dehumidifier. The safe held large amounts of cash along with gold coins and a USB drive, prosecutors say.

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Law enforcement officers searching the family's two adjoining homes in East Los Angeles found more than $1 million in cash, along with "numerous gold coins, pure gold and platinum pieces, luxury watches, and jewelry," prosecutors said in the detention memo.

A trapdoor was discovered under a bed in García's mother's house, revealing stairs leading to an underground compartment holding a built-in safe, according to the memo. Inside, officers found stacks of cash totaling around $220,000, jewelry, a jade-wrapped USB drive and gold coins.

The family has "access to vast internationally accessible wealth," the prosecutors said as they argued for continued detention. They also noted that one defendant, Rangel García, has been at large and is believed to be in Mexico since being named in California state charges in 2019.

The indictment seeks the forfeit of multiple properties, including three homes in Los Angeles and a rural home in San Bernardino County, Calif.

Church leaders have 'extreme' power, filmmaker says

An aerial view from 2023 shows followers of Iglesia La Luz Del Mundo (Light of the World, at center) in the streets of Guadalajara in Jalisco State, Mexico.

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The nondenominational Christian church, and Martin and other accusers' claims against it, were featured in a 2022 HBO documentary, Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo, which depicted the apostle who leads the church as having complete control over its members.

"The power that they wield is extreme," Unveiled director Jennifer Tiexiera told NPR's Here & Now in 2022. "The members believe that that's the direct connection to God himself."

Followers who speak out against the apostle or the church are ostracized and threatened with violence, according to Martin.

"It is the mafia. That's what it is," she says. "And it's disguised as a church."

Among rank-and-file members of the church, Tiexiera has said she's met many people who are intent on religious service: "It's not the membership that's wholly corrupt," she told The Los Angeles Times. "It's the hierarchy. And that breaks my heart."

Church claims to have millions of followers 

Prosecutors accuse García and his five co-defendants of producing child pornography and benefiting from forced labor – and sustaining their activities through illegal financial operations and obstructions of justice.

"They exploited the faith of their followers to prey upon them," U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said as the charges were announced. "When they were confronted, they leveraged their religious influence and financial power to intimidate and coerce victims into remaining silent about the abuse they had suffered."

The federal charges follow years of investigation and help from dozens of victims — a process that is continuing, according to Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel.

"I thank the brave survivors who provided law enforcement with vital information related to these allegations," he said, "and I encourage others with helpful information to do the same."

The case in New York's Southern District is assigned to District Judge Loretta Preska, who has also handled sex-trafficking proceedings related to the late Jeffrey Epstein and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.

La Luz del Mundo is based in Guadalajara, Mexico, but it has substantial operations and holdings in the U.S., including a large church and residences in Los Angeles. Other churches and properties listed in court filings are in New York, Nevada, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

The church currently claims more than 6 million followers and operates in more than 60 countries, according to a recent story by El Occidental, a newspaper in Guadalajara. In their indictment, U.S. prosecutors said that reliable membership numbers were not available.
Copyright 2025 NPR

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.