South Florida firefighter accused of uploading child sexual abuse images

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade deputies arrested a South Florida first responder on two felony charges Thursday after they said he uploaded child sexual abuse images.

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Deputies said the case against Alejandro Callegari, a 51-year-old firefighter with Boca Raton Fire Rescue, stems from a 2023 tip from Google, which reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that he was “uploading multiple files” of child sexual abuse material to his account.

In an arrest report, investigators described two files they said they found: one was a “66-image collage” of girls under 8 being abused and another was a lewd image showing two girls, one of whom appeared to be under 3.

Callegari, who’s listed in public records as residing in a Dadeland apartment, has been in trouble with the law before.

According to disciplinary documents obtained by Local 10 News, he was slapped with a 240-hour suspension by BRFR in 2015 after taking a plea agreement related to the theft of electronics from a Miami-Dade Target, which authorities said he then resold to colleagues who were unaware that the goods had been lifted.

Those documents state that in a separate incident, he improperly flashed a badge to a Pinecrest police officer while trying to get his wife out of a handicapped parking ticket.

“Your position carries with it (the) responsibility to uphold the significant trust placed in you by the City, and you have a responsibility to set an appropriate example,” Boca Raton’s then-city manager wrote to Callegari.

Disciplinary documents:

Callegari, now facing considerably more disturbing allegations in Miami-Dade, was being held Friday in the county’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on two charges related to the possession of child sexual abuse material. A judge set his bond at $5,000.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the city of Boca Raton said officials were aware of Callegari’s arrest and have placed him on administrative leave.

“These serious allegations do not reflect the values or standards of conduct we uphold for all City employees,” the statement reads in part. “As this matter involves an active criminal investigation, no further comment will be provided at this time.”

Callegari’s attorney, Walter Reynoso, said in a statement that his client “maintains his innocence.”

“He has confidence in the judicial process and believes in our Constitution, the presumption of innocence and due process of law,” the statement reads in part.