Florida police have charged a prominent Assemblies of God pastor with “knowingly and willfully” failing to report allegations of child sex abuse to authorities.
Investigators said Mark Vega, 55, “intentionally endeavored” to prevent reports of sex abuse at his church from reaching police, according to a complaint filed in Alachua County Circuit Court, NBC News first reported.
Vega is the senior pastor of Ignite Life Center church in Gainesville and the former chaplain for the New York Yankees. Under state law, any person with knowledge of child abuse is required to report it to authorities. Failure to do so is a third-degree felony that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
The complaint filing comes after years of sex abuse and cover-up allegations at a school and youth camp run by Ignite Life Center. Ignite is affiliated with the Assemblies of God, which is reportedly the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world. There are over 450,000 Assemblies of God churches globally and over 88 million adherents.
Since 2023, three youth leaders from Ignite, including Vega’s son, have been charged with sexually abusing minors during church activities. According to the criminal complaint, Vega received reports of abuse back in 2019, but witnesses told police that he repeatedly said he would handle the allegations internally rather than going to the police.
According to NBC News reporting, Vega’s son and another man were accused of coercing underage girls to have sex with them. Witness told authorities that Pastor Vega reportedly met with the family of a victim to come up with a plan to avoid talking to the police.
So far, at least six of the alleged victims have filed lawsuits that accuse Ignite and the Florida Multicultural District of negligence in failing to protect children from being molested.
“Child sexual abuse happens not just because of abusers, but also because of systemic failures that make the abusers feel that it is safe to abuse kids,” Jessica Arbour, a lawyer representing five alleged victims, told NBC News. “My clients are encouraged to see that law enforcement is taking their allegations seriously.”