Fugitive Accused in Rape of Nebraska Teen Now in Texas Jail

A man accused of raping a 14-year-old Nebraska girl is finally behind bars after he posted a low bond and fled the country. Deputy U.S. Marshals delivered the fugitive from justice to the Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office jail where he awaits extradition to Nebraska.

Marshals delivered 26-year-old Gambino Vargas-Perez to the Texas jail after returning him to the United States. It is not clear where the fugitive was taken into custody. Vargas-Perez is reported to be a legal U.S. resident and the son of Guatemalan parents.

In 2016, then-20-year-old Vargas-Perez allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in his family’s home, Breitbart News’ John Binder reported. The young girl said the suspect took her upstairs and raped her after she allegedly told him she did not want to have sex.

Vargas-Perez appeared before Nebraska Judge Jeffrey Marcuzzo who set a bond of only $5,000. After posting bail, Vargas-Perez vanished and was presumed to have fled to Guatemala where his parents lived.

The suspected child rapist is being held in the Montgomery County jail under an agreement with the federal government. He is being held without bond pending extradition to Nebraska, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter.

Judge Marcuzzo presides over the county court in the 4th Judicial District of Nebraska. He reportedly has a history of setting low bonds.

Most famously, Marcuzzo set a low bond which allowed a Honduran migrant, Eswin Mejia, to secure his release from jail and flee after he allegedly killed 21-year-old Sarah Root on January 31, 2016, in what was described as a street-racing crash.

Judges in Nebraska are not elected by popular vote. Instead, they are appointed and stand for retention elections. The state bar also evaluated judicial performance and makes recommendations.

In November 2016, Marcuzzo faced a retention election. WOWT NBC6 listed Douglas County judges facing re-election and reported he received a low rating of 78 percent from the bar. Despite this and the attention drawn to his bond settings, Marcuzzo won re-election in 2016 and again in 2022, according to Ballotpedia.

Eswin Mejia remains at large.