João de Deus has his sentence reduced by 275 years by the Goiás Court

The sentences of religious leader João Teixeira of Faria, known as João of Deus, were reduced from nearly 490 years to about 214 years in prison. Tribunal of Justiça of Goiás analyzed resources in 18 criminal cases. Ele is 83 years old and has been under house arrest in Anápolis since 2021.

The decision was published this Wednesday. The current calculation adds up to 214 years, 1 month and 20 days of imprisonment, in addition to 1 year of detention. Parte of the sentences fell due to the decline of the right to representation. In other cases, magistrates reviewed dosimetries or annulled sentences.

Recursos changes convictions for sexual crimes

Dezoito processes were included in the TJ-GO analysis. Most deal with rape, rape of a vulnerable person and sexual violation through fraud. The facts occurred in Casa Dom Inácio of Loyola, in Abadiânia, between 1973 and 2018.

• Vítimas reported abuse during individual consultations
• Muitos cases involved believers seeking spiritual healing
• Parte of the complaints expired before reaching the sentence
• Outros processes were terminated due to lack of representation within the legal deadline
• A 2023 conviction dropped from 51+ years to 9 years
• Outro case of 56 years and 10 months was archived

The document obtained by UOL details these changes. The defense has presented appeals over the years. Alguns rulings reduced prison time significantly.

Líder religious man is under house arrest

João of Deus was arrested in December 2018. Ele left the closed regime in 2021 because of old age and health conditions. Justiça authorized fulfillment at home in Anápolis.

Mais of 320 women went to authorities to report abuse. Sessenta and seven are formally included in the judged cases. Outras 121 had cases prescribed or extinguished due to decadence. Ele also faces gun possession and tax crimes.

The spiritual center lost its movement after the allegations. Abadiânia received up to 10 thousand tourists per week before 2018. Hoje, only a few faithful still visit the place.

Redução happens more than seven years after allegations

The first reports gained repercussion in 2018. Reportagens revealed reports from dozens of victims. The investigation progressed with statements and searches of the house.

The initial sum of the sentences reached 489 years and 4 months. Successive Recursos led to revisions. The TJ-GO judged most of the actions in the second instance. Alguns cases are still awaiting decision at the STJ.

Detalhes of the main changes

A 2023 criminal case involved rape, rape through fraud and rape of a vulnerable person. The original sentence exceeded 51 years. Após appeal, the court set it at 9 years.

Outro case predicted 56 years and 10 months. The appeal was granted and the case was closed. Esses examples show the impact of recent decisions in total.

Attorney Anderson Van Gualberto of Mendonça represents João of Deus. Ele did not respond to placement requests. The space remains open for manifestation.

Contexto of crimes

The reported abuses occurred after collective prayer chains. The medium invited women to private sessions. Muitas victims said they were unable to resist because they were in a vulnerable situation.

Justiça understood that the acts constituted serious sexual crimes. The penalties are based on article 213 of the Código Penal, with variations depending on the circumstances. Alguns cases included bodily injury.