“Companion Cases;” Court Addresses Ignite Life Center Pastor for First Time
Mark Vega’s criminal case was addressed for the first time in court today.
According to the police report, while serving as the senior pastor at Ignite Life Center (ILC) Church, Vega failed to report several instances of child sexual abuse over the course of multiple years.
The Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office filed one count of failing to report suspected child abuse against Vega on November 14, 2025.
Vega was arrested on November 24, 2025, on a warrant after turning himself in, and he was released from jail in less than a day after posting a $50,000 bond.
After his release, Vega submitted a not guilty plea and a request for a jury trial. Soon after, a case management hearing was scheduled.
Vega was not present at today’s hearing, with court records showing he waived his appearance.
Michael Hines, attorney for Vega, asked Judge Robert Groeb to schedule him for another case management hearing in March. Hines said that given what he knows about Vega's “companion cases," if he asked Groeb to schedule for February, he’d end up asking for more time.
Assistant State Attorney Lua Lepianka didn’t object to Hines’ request.
Lepianka said, “This is a failure to report that is based off of several other cases that have either proceeded or are proceeding through the court system.” She added that depositions may overlap.
Groeb set Vega’s next hearing for case management on March 9 at 2:00 p.m. in room 3-A of the Criminal Justice Courthouse in downtown Gainesville.
The Companion Cases
Gabriel Hemenez
Hemenez was arrested on July 6, 2023, and on March 6, 2024, was convicted of two child molestation charges and one count of misdemeanor battery.
According to Vega’s police report, another ILC member accused Hemenez of sexually assaulting him back in 2019. Vega reportedly referred to the incident as a “bump in the road” and allowed Hemenez to remain among ILC as a youth leader.
Hemenez’s child molestation convictions stem from crimes he committed at the ILC Summer Internship in 2021 while serving as a youth leader.
In March 2025, Hemenez was charged with three more counts of child molestation, as police learned he had another victim at the 2021 ILC Summer Internship. The charges are still pending.
Christian Vargas
Christian Vargas is Mark Vega’s son. Like father, like son, Vargas also faces charges for committing crimes at ILC.
Vargas was arrested on July 19, 2023, on one count of lewd or lascivious conduct and one count of lewd or lascivious battery.
Vargas reportedly raped a 12- or 13-year-old girl when he was 16 and made unwanted sexual advances towards a 14-year-old girl when he was 17 and 18. Police reports detail a hidden room in ILC known as the “Furnace,” where Vargas would take his victims. The charges are still pending, with Vargas posting bond within the same day he was arrested.
After he was arrested, Vargas told police that on one occasion Vega “walked in” on him kissing one of his victims, according to Vega’s police report.
Noel Cruz
Noel Cruz was arrested on February 19, 2024, on a warrant for a count of lewd or lascivious battery.
Police reports detail Cruz statutorily raping the victim; however, on January 14, 2025, he was sentenced to three years of probation and granted a withheld adjudication for aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony.
According to Vega’s police report, the victim’s parents learned their daughter had been having sex with Vargas and Cruz since she was 15 on ILC grounds. Vargas was not charged for this due to Romeo and Juliet laws, but Cruz was 20. The victim’s parents told Eunice Luvis, an elder pastor at ILC, and she advised they “must contact [Vega] immediately.”
The police report states, “[The victim’s] parents were shocked but not surprised—anything and everything of importance must be ‘run by’ [Vega]. [Vega] was truly, in their opinion, the person who ran Ignite, and he had to be aware of and involved with anything and everything that happened at Ignite or could happen to Ignite. Accordingly, [Vic 9’s] parents contacted [Vega] and tell him what they had learned… The following day, [Vega] calls [the victim’s] father and tells him that there will be a meeting between the 3 families at [Vega’s] house and that the purpose of the meeting was ‘to scare the shit out of these guys [so] they’ll never do this again.’”
The police report goes on to describe a second meeting Vega had with the victim’s parents, which they described as “intimidating.” Vega reportedly asked the victim’s father if he “really wants to get authorities involved,” saying it would “ruin” the lives of Vargas and Noel Cruz, in addition to the victim. Vega proceeded to blame the victim, saying Vargas and Noel Cruz were “restored,” but that victim had not been “restored.” Vega then declared that the victim needed help with being “restored” and would be “mentored” by two female pastors, along with himself.
The police report continues, “The mentoring ended abruptly when [Vega] and church Leaders learned that [the victim] was cooperating with Gainesville Police Department's investigation into Vargas and Cruz.”
The ILC investigation will be updated as the year continues amid pending outcomes of Vega's case and his companion cases.
