Firefighter loses job over nude photos

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Nude pictures and lying cost an Austin firefighter his job Wednesday.

Austin's fire chief indefinitely suspended Alejandro Garza after an investigation into his online activities.

In July, a man whose wife was having an affair with Garza alerted the Austin Fire Department about nude photos of Garza on the Internet.

A supervisor was initially unable to confirm the report, due to the large number of Web responses in an online search. When he told Garza about the complaint, Garza told the supervisor the last pictures he put online of himself naked were posted in 2006.

After another complaint from the same citizen, and a more extensive investigation by Garza's supervisor, AFD discovered several naked images of Garza on websites for dating and seeking sex, posted as recently as Aug. 17.

The AFD disciplinary memo states that after seeing the evidence, Garza verified the postings, nude photos and profiles were his.

The suspension memo said the sexual activity "clearly represents conduct unbecoming a member of the Austin Fire Department."  It also said Garza "brought further discredit to the department by including information which identified him as a firefighter in the City of Austin" in the postings.

The indefinite suspension cites a violation of the AFD rule against firefighters committing "acts showing a lack of good moral character."