Christian David Vargas, 22, pleaded not guilty on Thursday, May 21 to the charges of lewd or lascivious battery involving a victim between the ages of 12 and 16, a second-degree felony. This is the defendant’s third criminal case with similar charges but the first one facing these charges as an adult.
After Vargas failed to appear in court for his first arraignment early this month, Judge Robert K. Groeb set a new bond for his arrest of $500,000.
According to court records, on May 8, Vargas’ attorney Gilbert A. Schaffnit introduced a notice of appearance as counselor on record for the defendant. The same day, a motion to quash the arrest warrant, reinstate Varga’s previously posted bond, and reset the arraignment was filed in court contending that the defendant relied upon his parents to provide counsel for the cases. He has been working with his father, Mark Vega, on retraining undersigned counsel to represent him in this case. However, the process has been complicated due to counsel schedule availability and Vega’s travel schedules. He has been in New York on business for Ignite Life Church.
During the special hearing on Thursday, Vargas was present in court along with his mother, Lisa Vega, who is also listed as Senior Pastor on the Ignite Life Center website.
Vargas’ lawyer stated during the hearing that it wasn’t the defendant's intention to miss the first appearance hearing and that he simply didn’t have legal advice at the time. Some medical conditions that Vargas is facing were also discussed during the hearing; however, his lawyer has not formally filed documents in court due to possible HIPAA violation.
Assistant State Attorney, Lua J. M. Lepianka, mentioned that it was the defendant's responsibility to show up for his hearing and asked the judge to request the defendant surrender his passport due to the family travel activity. Attorney Schaffnit emphasized the trips out of the state and the country have been by his family, not the defendant, and this could be verified by Vargas GPS monitor location record.
Two prior cases from 2023 involving similar allegations remain open under case management, both originating when Vargas was a minor. Vargas was arrested in July 2023 on two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior, a second-degree felony. The defendant has been on pre-trial release with a GPS monitor since. Judge Groeb asked for an update on these two cases, and both parties said that most depositions are done and the cases should go to trial anytime soon.
Judge Groeb expressed his concerns about how long the 2023 cases have been under case management in the court system. Both parties also agreed that it was because of Vargas’ lawyer’s time availability, but there is a possibility for a plea agreement or trial for August 2026. Judge Groeb denied the motion to quash his bond and proceeded to order Vargas to be taken into custody immediately. In handcuffs and tears, Vargas was taken by Alachua County Sheriff Office court deputies.
After the hearing, Vargas’ attorney filed a waiver for speedy trial, a demand for jury trial and a waiver of appearance at case management and pre-trial conference for the defendant.
As of the publication of this article, Vargas has not posted bond. So far, there is no court date set for the next appearance.
