Sacred Scandal

The Mexican Press calls them “The Vestals” -   a group of women inside LLDM with an unholy task: to  groom young boys and girls for the Apostle.

Alondra Ocampo’s road to hell on earth began when she was 8 years old. While her parents went to the temple, she went to the kid’s room, unknowingly entering a world of abuse that would continue for over thirty years. A path through the life of both a victim and a vestal.

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A woman is shot dead in Guadalajara. There are multiple witnesses. Security camera footage. But no one comes forward and the case remains unsolved. We look at LLDM's deep connections with the police, and their hush-hush operations.

LLDM's longstanding connections with influential figures and politicians have helped them evade accountability time and again, but as public scrutiny intensifies, will justice finally be served? In this episode, we explore the extent of LLDM's power and influence, and the growing calls for accountability.

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We meet Sochil Martin, the whistleblower who played a pivotal role in the downfall of Naasón Joaquín García. Sochil takes us on a journey through her childhood as a faithful member of the church and the dark tasks she was asked to perform as part of her service to the apostle. 

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We delve into the remarkable expansion of LLDM under the leadership of its second Apostle, Samuel Joaquín García, and trace the origins of LLDM back to its founding Apostle, Aaron Joaquín. 

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Moises Padilla was brutally attacked, stabbed 68 times after denouncing the heinous crimes committed by the religious group called La Luz del Mundo

It was in 1998 when Moises Padilla was brutally attacked, stabbed 68 times after denouncing the heinous crimes committed by the religious group called La Luz del Mundo, the largest cult on earth which, after decades of abuse, has recently come to light.

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Discover the stunning downfall of the leader of religious organization "La Luz del Mundo," Naasón Joaquín García.

Join us as we explore the shocking events that rocked the religious organization "La Luz del Mundo" when its leader, Naasón Joaquín García, celebrated his 50th birthday at Mexico City's prestigious cultural center, only to be arrested weeks later on charges of heinous crimes.

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Sacred Scandal, named one of Podtrac’s Best New Podcasts of 2022, embarks on its second season, focusing on Mexico-based megachurch La Luz del Mundo (Light of the World). It tells the story of Naasón Joaquín García, a self-proclaimed apostle, who is currently behind bars after pleading guilty in June 2022 of sexually abusing girls from his congregation. Naasón is currently serving a nearly 17-year sentence, but maintains his innocence.

Host and investigative journalist Roberta Garza explores Naasón's control over a multitude of devotees, some of whom now describe their experiences in the church as "pure evil." In this true-crime series, survivors share stories about this powerful religious leader and the alleged sexual abuse that followed, many relating to minors.

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For lovers of true crime, EXILE Content Studio proudly presents their latest show, Shoot the Messenger: Espionage, Murder, & Pegasus Spyware (subscribe here). Beginning with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Shoot the Messenger investigates the sophisticated spyware used on his inner circle, Pegasus - and how vulnerable we all might be.

Jamal Khashoggi’s life, assassination, and betrayal opened up a timeline for a new digital battle: cyber-surveillance weapons.

In 2018, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey and was never seen again. Weeks later, the Turkish intelligence released secret tapes of Khashoggi’s last moments before being brutally murdered, causing an international uproar. It has been four years since Khashoggi’s murder, and what we now know is that the first weapon used against Khashoggi was digital and it’s called Pegasus - a kind of software that can be used to hijack your phone; a military-grade, spyware software.

A new biweekly serialized podcast, every season Exile Content Studio investigates one international new story. You may have heard the headlines — this is the deep dive. The first season examines the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and his inner circle that has had the world's most sophisticated military-grade spyware confirmed on their phones. It's called Pegasus. How did this spyware come to be, how does it work, and how vulnerable are you? 

Shoot the Messenger is hosted by Rose Reid and Nando Vila and is a production of Exile Content Studio.

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Edward James Olmos is one of the most decorated and respected actors alive, especially in the Latino community. Who is the man responsible for American Me, and why did he make it?

Most of us know Edward James Olmos as a legendary actor, but he's also an activist who for decades has worked on behalf of Latino causes from Hollywood to Washington D.C. But when both of those sides of him collided to make a movie that would stop gang violence what resulted may have been the exact opposite. Why did Olmos make American Me and what went wrong in the process?

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Melanie and Paula answer questions from listeners, review updates from the war in Ukraine, and discuss stories and interviews that didn't make it to the series.

If you want to get in touch, email us on [email protected]. And for behind-the-scenes photos and videos follow us on Instagram @SacredScandal

To help support the people of Ukraine at this time, visit https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund/

If you’re concerned about or have experienced abuse in your own place of worship contact the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) https://www.snapnetwork.org/.

If you liked the original music from this series, you can listen to it on Spotify or Apple Music

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