La Luz del Mundo dissidents pressure authorities, seek more charges against 'apostle'
LOS ANGELES — Holding her sons tight, Deborah Contreras shuddered with sobs as the women in a Los Angeles courtroom recounted years of sexual abuse inflicted by the man they once believed was an "apostle" of Jesus Christ.
She nodded as one of the women said there were countless other victims beyond those involved in the prosecution's case against Naason Joaquin Garcia, head of La Luz del Mundo to this day. Many have been afraid to speak out about alleged abuse by Garcia and others in the church hierarchy for fear of incurring their wrath.
Contreras would know; she's one of them, she said.
"The moment you question it is the moment that you're cast aside," she said recently. "That's why victims stay quiet for such a long time."
In the weeks since Garcia pleaded guilty to three criminal counts in exchange for a reduced sentence of nearly 17 years in prison, Contreras and other former church members have tried to keep the case alive in news releases, television interviews and on social media, urging other possible victims to speak out publicly.
While prosecutors
