‘Spiritual Healer’ Once Promoted by Oprah Sentenced After Raping at Least 4 Women
A Brazilian man whose alleged gift as a spiritual healer once drew rave reviews from Oprah Winfrey has been ordered to prison after being convicted of rape.
Joao Teixeira de Faria, known as Joao de Deus, or John of God, has been sentenced to 19 years and four months after being found guilty of raping four women, according to The Associated Press.
The 77-year-old’s attorneys said in a statement that they plan to appeal.
His lawyers argued that he should be sentenced to house arrest due to his age and health, but a judge rejected their argument, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
At his peak, Faria attracted thousands of people from around the world to a small city west of Brasilia, alleging he could cure any disease, and often operated without anesthetic on those who came to him.
Faria claimed to draw his powers from King Solomon and from God.
Winfrey visited Faria in 2012 to interview him, not as a patient, and called him “inspiring.”
She said that during her time there she felt “something very strong. It went way beyond what I expected. I thought I was going to faint,” Page Six reported.
In December 2018, Faria’s empire began to fall apart.
Beginning that month, after a televised accusation that he sexually abused women coming to see him, more than 300 women accused him of abuse, according to CNN. The list of accusers includes his own daughter.
At the time, André Fernandes, civil police superintendent in the Brazilian state of Goiás, said only 15 formal statements had been filed, but noted: “They are very compelling statements, very precise, over two hours of interview, with all possible details, all the circumstances.”
Faria was arrested that month, and had been detained since then.
Rafael Velasco, whose ex-wife, Sabrina Bittencourt, worked with Faria’s alleged victims until she committed suicide, said in a statement that it took a “titanic effort to stop [Faria’s] influence” over victims and their defenders, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Bittencourt had accused Faria of running a “sex slave farm,” according to the Daily Mail.
“We are grateful for the victims’ courage … and the tireless work of good prosecutors in Goias and Sao Paulo,” Velasco said.
“It has been the worst year of our lives, but we continue beside the victims and promise that this is just the start.”
After Faria was arrested, Winfrey issued a statement saying she sympathized with his accusers and hoped they would find justice.
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