The legal defense of Naasón Joaquín García, leader of the La Luz del Mundo church, received a new setback this Friday: a Los Angeles judge denied that they review more than 37,000 written messages stored on the cell phones of the five women they accuse of sexual abuse to the Mexican pastor.
Naasón Joaquín has been detained in a Los Angeles jail since June 3, 2019. He faces 19 criminal charges, including sexual abuse of minors, rape, child pornography and human trafficking.
A judge has already determined that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute him and set him a record $ 90 million bond, the highest in California history. He pleaded not guilty. It is expected that the next hearing on April 12 will determine the date to begin the selection of the jury.
It is not the first time that Naasón Joaquín's lawyers have asked the court to review the devices of the alleged anonymous victims, identified by the government as 'Jane Does'. This Friday, the California Prosecutor's Office called it "completely absurd" and asked to reject the motion.
According to attorney Caleb Mason, part of the team defending the pastor, there are 37,460 text messages, emails and other communications on the cell phones of the five accusers.
Those devices are with other material evidence in a secret location in the city of Commerce, in southeastern Los Angeles. There is also Naasón Joaquín's iPhone, which supposedly contains the video of an orgy with a minor and recordings where girls appear performing sexual acts.
Investigators have testified in court that they discovered messages on confiscated devices where Naasón Joaquín is said to have asked that the girls be given drugs so that they would be “more accommodating” and not know they had been abused, as well as dialogues about the pastor's wishes. of participating in "sex parties" and when he argued with his assistants about which minors to select for his harem.
Attorney Mason asked to verify the content of thousands of messages from the 'Jane Does', spanning a period of two years, to determine their "behavior" and "actions" while interacting with their client. He emphasized that he would let her know where they were produced.
He specified that there are around 700 communications between one of the alleged victims, 'Jane Doe 5', an adult woman who would have been sexually abused in a Beverly Hills hotel, and the co-defendant Alondra Ocampo, who pleaded guilty to four counts and is wait to testify against Naasón Joaquín.