BRASILIA (Reuters) - Prosecutors on Thursday charged a disgraced Brazilian faith healer with rape and sexual assault, following his arrest after allegations from hundreds of women who said he had sexually abused them while seeking spiritual guidance or psychic healing from him. João Teixeira de Faria, known as "John of God," was arrested earlier this month and has been imprisoned since. His fame has been boosted by supposedly miraculous surgeries he claims to have performed with his hands and without anaesthesia. Goiás prosecutors charged Faria on Friday on four counts of rape and sexual assault, a spokesman said in a statement. The accusers are not just Brazilian citizens, according to prosecutors, and include four women from the United States, three from Australia and three from different parts of Europe.

Source: The Star December 28, 2018 21:33 UTC