Leader of religious group based in Mexico charged with sex crimes

The leader of La Luz Del Mundo, an international religious organization based in Mexico, has been arrested in California on charges of human trafficking, child rape and other felonies, authorities said Tuesday.

Naason Joaquin Garcia, who heads the organization that claims one million followers worldwide, and three co-defendants allegedly committed 26 felonies in southern California between 2015 and 2018.

Garcia and his co-defendants, all of them women affiliated with La Luz Del Mundo (The Light of the World), are accused of coercing minor girls into performing sexual acts by telling them that if they went against the wishes of "the Apostle," as Garcia was called, they would be going against God.

"Crimes like those alleged in this complaint have no place in our society. Period," California's Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "We must not turn a blind eye to sexual violence and trafficking in our state."