A youth leader at a notorious Redlands church has been sentenced to 175 years to life in prison for sexually abusing three young members of his congregation.
Abraham Jatnel Coronado was found guilty last Friday of 13 counts of felony sexual abuse of young church members.
Coronado was a youth leader at La Luz del Mundo Church in Redlands, where he oversaw the church’s off-site facility known as Ebenezer Ranch.
According to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, Coronado was often left in the care of children without parental supervision, and the children often spent the night in his trailer on the ranch. That’s what it means.
The DA’s office said Coronado is “well-respected and known to have close relationships with key leaders at church headquarters.”
Prosecutors say Coronado used his position to prey on the boys in his care for several years. The victims ranged in age from 12 to 17 years old.
The first victim to come forward had been abused by church leaders as a teenager. He testified during the trial that Coronado repeatedly sexually abused him, and in a recorded conversation between the two, Coronado never denied the abuse and said he “wanted this.” [sex] things that happen. ”
The first victim reported the abuse in 2021 after witnessing Coronado keeping another young victim under his wing, fearing he would continue to victimize other children at the ranch. .
The second victim testified that Coronado trained her to be her boyfriend from an early age and often isolated her from other children at the ranch. The victim testified that she experienced “many acts” of sexual abuse by Coronado starting around 2010 when she was only 13 years old. When she turned 14, Coronado became more coercive and testified that she raped the child.
A third victim testified that when she was 12 or 13 years old, Coronado “spanked her buttocks in a sexual manner, rubbed her breasts, and rubbed her pelvis.” The victim said she had never experienced such behavior from an adult. It’s for him.
Mr. Coronado eventually admitted to sexually abusing the children and acknowledged that he was aware of the children’s ages at the time and his position of power over them. In his apology to the victims, Coronado said he regretted that his “foolishness” had caused them so much “suffering and humiliation.”
Nason Joaquin Garcia appears for a bail hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on July 16, 2019. (Credit: KTLA)
La Luz del Mundo is a controversial megachurch headquartered in Mexico that has been mired in allegations of sexual abuse by church leaders. In 2019, Nason Joaquín Garcia, a major leader of the religious group and self-proclaimed Apostle of Jesus, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and ultimately pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse charges.
He is currently serving a 17-year sentence for these crimes at the California Men’s Prison in Chino.
Last year, Garcia was charged with possessing child pornography on a tablet found during an arrest at Los Angeles International Airport.
Despite the controversy, conviction, and prison sentence, García remains an important figure in La Luz del Mundo and continues to occasionally preach to the congregation from behind bars.
Source link
