Mexican Megachurch Pastor Is Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Child Sex Abuse

“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,” Judge Ronald Coen said. Coen also called García a sexual predator.

During sentencing proceedings, five young women came forward to testify that García had used his spiritual influence to use the girls. The women called him a “monster” and “disgusting human waste.”

“I worshipped my abuser,” said a woman identified as Jane Doe 4 and said she was his niece. “He used me over and over again like a sacrificial lamb taken to slaughter.”

In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecuting attorneys dropped 16 counts of charges of raping children and women, human trafficking and charges related to child pornography.

Meanwhile, the megachurch said in a statement it supports the pastor and believes García confessed because he didn’t think he’d get a fair trial.

“The Apostle of Jesus Christ has had no choice but to accept with much pain that the agreement presented is the best way forward to protect the church and his family,” the church said.

In 2019, García was arrested along with two other women. The women were accused of helping García facilitate the abuse.

One of the women, Alondra Ocampo, had pled guilty and admitted to helping him find his victims. She was scheduled to testify at trial.

The other woman, Susana Medina Oaxaca, also pled guilty to assault likely to cause bodily injury. As per her agreement with prosecutors, Oaxaca will serve four years in prison.

Related:

Mexico Megachurch Pastor Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Abuse in Los Angeles

Photo courtesy: Emiliano Bar/Unsplash

Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.