A celebrity faith healer, accused of sexual violence by hundreds of women throughout Brazil, was being sought by police Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The U.S. Embassy in Brazil put out an alert telling people to contact Brazilian authorities if they had suffered abuse at the hands of Joao Teixeira de Faria. De Faria had worked as a faith healer for the last four decades in a small town in central Brazil under the name Joao de Deus. Since the first allegations, more than 300 people have contacted authorities, and the accusers include de Faria's adult daughter, Dalva Teixeira. Researchers found that only about 10 percent of cases are ever presented to authorities and 70 percent of victims are children.

Source: ABC News December 14, 2018 21:45 UTC