João de Deus probes to continue during holidays
The task force formed by prosecutors in the Brazilian state of Goiás, assembled to probe into the sexual abuse allegations involving psychic João Teixeira de Farias, also known as João de Deus, will not be interrupted in the holiday season.
João de Deus and his wife Ana Leyla Teixeira, 40, spoke to the authorities Wednesday (26) in the state capital Goiânia. Ana Leyla Teixeira is the mother of one of the medium’s nine children.
The task force has received 596 reports from women who claim to be victims, of whom 75 have been heard in Goiás and other states. Altogether, 255 people have been identified, among them 23 aged nine through 14 when the incidents are said to have taken place, eight from 15 to 18 years old, and 70 between 19 and 67, according to the investigators. They mention at least three cases, in which crimes include rape, sexual assault through fraud, and statutory rape.
Investigators believe the medium took advantage of the faith of his followers, the respect he enjoyed, and people’s fragile health state—many suffered from serious diseases.
João de Deus has been temporarily arrested since December 16. His counsel has filed motions with the Supreme Court of Justice and the Supreme Court in a bid to change his detention to house arrest with bracelet use.
Shutdown
Sanitary authorities in Goiás shut down the laboratory at the Casa Dom Inácio de Loyola, where the psychic held his spiritual sessions, in the town of Abadiânia. The place is believed to produce medication on industrial scale with no permission.
Violation of sanitary norms in the way medicines are handled and poor conditions in the storage of surgical tools are also mentioned by the agents.
The press in Goiás also announced the existence of nine inquiries initiated which target João de Deus, of the total 16 cases reported to the police thus far. In one of them, already concluded, the medium was charged with sexual assault through fraud.
André Fernandes, the chief commissioner spearheading the case, pointed out that there is a group specifically tasked with scrutinizing the guns found in one of the psychic’s houses. The gems and the money found, some of which in foreign currency, are also being analyzed.
