Criminal sex-abuse charges have been dropped in Los Angeles against Naason Joaquin Garcia, the Mexico-based La Luz del Mundo leader whose followers call him the “apostle” of Jesus Christ. Garcia was taken into custody in June after being accused of sex crimes involving three minors and one adult between 2015 and 2018 in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles Times reports Garcia’s arrest sparked “emergency prayer services” throughout the megachurch, which has around five million followers worldwide. The charges were dropped due to statue-of-limitations violations. “In their zeal to secure a conviction at any cost, the attorney general has sought to strip Mr. Garcia of his freedom without due process by locking him up without bail on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations by unnamed accusers and by denying him his day in court,” Garcia’s attorney said in a statement.
