South Florida chef arrested for driving to Gainesville to meet and have sex with underage girl

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Enrico Alaggia, 40, a chef from South Florida, was arrested yesterday for allegedly driving to Gainesville to meet an underage girl and then sexually battering her.

The 16-year-old victim told a Gainesville Police Department officer that she met Alaggia on an online dating app; after he sent her a text at the number displayed on her profile, he allegedly traveled to Gainesville and picked her up at an apartment complex.

Alaggia allegedly took the victim to his hotel, where he checked in by himself and then went back out and brought the victim in through a side entrance; the officer reported that the hotel’s surveillance cameras captured them entering the hotel at about 5:31 p.m. on June 22.

Inside the hotel room, Alaggia allegedly started kissing and touching the victim, and she reportedly told him she did not want to have sex; however, he allegedly raped her multiple times before they left the hotel and got back into his vehicle.

Alaggia allegedly drove the victim to a store and bought her an alcoholic beverage, and the victim said she became “tipsy.” They returned to the hotel, where cameras captured them entering at about 7:40 p.m.

The victim said Alaggia asked her about her age multiple times, and she initially told him she was 18 years old, but when he continued to ask her real age, she told him she was 16. She said Alaggia started threatening to kill himself; when she said she was going to call the police, Alaggia allegedly grabbed her phone from her hand and put it in his pocket. A 911 hangup call was reportedly received from the victim’s phone at 9:05 p.m., and the phone pinged in the area of the hotel room at that time. The victim said Alaggia made her “pinky promise” that she would not call the police about what happened, and then he gave her back her phone.

Alaggia reportedly drove the victim to a fast food restaurant and bought her food, and then the victim said he drove through multiple parking lots, looking for a place where they could have sex. The officer reported that Alaggia’s vehicle was captured on video by several businesses in the Archer Road area, driving through empty parking lots and secluded loading areas. He then allegedly drove the victim to a parking lot in the Butler Plaza area, told her he wished she were 18, climbed into the back seat of his vehicle, and raped her again before driving her back to her apartment complex.

Post Miranda, Alaggia reportedly admitted to meeting the victim online, picking her up and driving her to a hotel, engaging in sexual activity with her, and sexually battering her in a parking lot after he found out she was underage. He said she told him she was 17, and he said he felt “blackmailed” by her to engage in sexual intercourse.

Alaggia has been charged with three counts of sexual battery on a victim under the age of 18, preventing communication with law enforcement, tampering with a witness, traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual contact, robbery by sudden snatching, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. According to the arrest report, he is a chef who was born in Rome, is currently an Italian citizen, and lives in Palm Bay, Florida. According to his Instagram, which is now private, he is a senior executive chef in Hollywood, Florida.

Alaggia’s criminal history is unavailable because First Appearance orders are not posted for sexual offenses or offenses involving minors. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.