Pastor Gets 16 Years Jail Term for Sexually Abusing Female Congregations

The leader of the Mexican megachurch, La Luz del Mundo, has been sentenced to more than 16 years in a California prison for sexually abusing young female followers who said he made them his sex slaves.

Naasón Joaquín García, 53, was sentenced on Wednesday after he abruptly pleaded guilty last week in Los Angeles Superior Court to three felonies on the eve of a long-awaited trial.

Prosecutors said García, who is considered the “apostle” of Jesus Christ by his 5 million worldwide followers, used his spiritual sway to have sex with girls and young women who were told it would lead to their salvation — or damnation if they refused.

“I never cease to be amazed at what people do in the name of religion and how many lives are ruined in the guise of a supreme being,” said Judge Ronald Coen, who called García a sexual predator.