Alondra Ocampo , the woman who is considered the main accomplice of the leader of the La Luz del Mundo church for him to sexually abuse five adolescents and young people from the congregation, was released from a California prison this weekend, according to records prisoners obtained by Univision News.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) database lists her as "out of custody" and has already been paroled.
Ocampo's lawyer, Fred Thiagarajah, did not respond this Saturday to the messages sent by this means. On Thursday he declined to comment on the transfer of custody of his client from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office (LASD) to the CDCR.
Ocampo, 39, was serving a four-year prison sentence for four charges to which he pleaded guilty and which are related to sexual crimes against three adolescents and a young woman from the cult.
Jonati Joey Yedidsion, lawyer for the five complainants in this case, told Univision News this Saturday that she hoped Ocampo's file had been reviewed in detail before granting him release from prison. Her clients had not been notified of the release. Yedidsion explained to this medium that the state government is not required by law to notify them of said decision.
“We do not know the facts that influenced the decision to release her, but we hope that she expressed remorse for the trauma and suffering that our clients endured and will continue to endure,” said the attorney, who has a law practice in Los Angeles.
According to the accusation, Ocampo convinced three minors to rape Naasón Joaquín García, the self-appointed "Apostle of Jesus Christ," who is serving a sentence of almost 17 years in prison.
She invited them to join a “special” group that attended the pastor every time he visited Los Angeles and then, using biblical texts, she induced them to dance naked in front of him, pose performing sexual acts on camera, and herself. He took them to the evangelical minister's bedroom for him to rape them, according to the California prosecutor's office.
A judge imposed the reduced punishment on October 12, rewarding his extensive cooperation with the authorities to prosecute Naasón Joaquín and his accomplice Susana Medina Oaxaca.
From her arrest on the afternoon of June 3, 2019, and until 10:55 a.m. this Wednesday, Ocampo was in a women's jail in Lynwood, guarded by Los Angeles sheriffs, that agency's records indicate.
From there they transferred his custody to a correctional facility in that county (which was not specified) under the custody of CDCR officers, while he awaited review of his court file by a parole board. CDCR records indicated that she was eligible this month for that benefit, but she did not provide a date.
The parole board determines if an inmate is sufficiently rehabilitated and does not represent a danger to society. The panel takes into account the crimes committed, the conduct behind bars, as well as the educational and vocational programs taken in the penitentiary. Thus, it decides if the prisoner is released or must serve the rest of his sentence.
Ocampo is still facing a civil lawsuit filed in state court in downtown Los Angeles on behalf of the five victims named in this case, whom the government identifies as Jane Does.
"The church will take revenge" by Alondra Ocampo
In addition to Ocampo, the other two involved in this media case have received reduced sentences, which has upset the victims and the complainants.
The co-defendant Susana Medina Oaxaca is only serving one year of supervised release and six months of psychiatric counseling, since they took into account the three years that she was under house arrest.
And Naasón Joaquín signed a controversial agreement with the California prosecutor's office that dropped 16 of 19 criminal charges and freed him from life imprisonment.
He is serving a reduced sentence of 16 years and 8 months at North Kern State Prison and hopes to be transferred to another correctional facility. His good conduct and the prison programs he has taken also decreased the time he will have to serve: his tentative release date is March 2031.
A fourth implicated, Azalea Rangel Meléndez, is still on the run and is believed to be hiding in Mexico.
Ocampo claimed to be innocent at the beginning of this process, but in October 2020 he pleaded guilty under terms that were sealed by a judge. The government had imposed 27 charges on him, even more than on Naasón Joaquín himself.
Thiagarajah told this outlet last month that four years in prison seemed fair to her client "in light of her role in the case... the fact that she is a victim and her willingness to cooperate with the government and to testify against the leader of the church."
Ocampo had prepared to be the first person to testify against the "Apostle" and was interviewed in jail by detectives from the California Department of Justice, who showed her evidence on a laptop about the sexual assaults committed by the Mexican pastor.
Thiagarajah indicated that this influenced the Mexican pastor to confess his crimes a few hours before the selection of the jury that would review his case began. "If Alondra had not been willing to testify against Naasón, he would have gone to trial," she asserted.
Ocampo spent the last two years in a special unit at Lynwood prison. Citing security concerns, her lawyer said additional steps had been taken to protect her, including calling for the sentencing hearing to be held behind closed doors. But a judge denied that motion.
"We have security concerns. We believe the church will take revenge on her. We know there has been a vendetta against her recently and we don't want her release date to be public and we don't want church people around the jail when she gets out in freedom," Thiagarajah said then.
Ocampo's crying
On the morning of October 12, in a Los Angeles County Superior Court room, the words of the mothers of two whistleblowers brought Ocampo to tears at his sentencing hearing.
"Alondra, you had no compassion for her when you handed her over to the depraved Naason... Other impacts that my daughter suffered, the Jane Doe 2: first, it was having been raped; second, where she was born and grew up, the La Luz del Mundo church , stopped talking to her. I was a teenager who, instead of living the dreams of a girl, you, Alondra, helped turn them into a nightmare for her. So much so that my daughter tried to kill herself," said the mother of a teenager who she was maid of the 'Apostle'.
"All I can tell you is that you and Susana (Medina) Oaxaca forced her to do horrendous things. Until today she cannot lead her normal life as a young man her age. I want to tell you that you are here because you were just as guilty than Naasón", expressed the mother of another victim, 'Jane Doe 3'.
La Luz del Mundo is still led by Naasón Joaquín, who sends letters and audios to his followers, who continue to believe in his innocence. This church claims to have five million faithful in almost 60 countries.