Ex-doctor pleads no contest in Broward child sexual abuse material case, records show

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A former anesthesiologist pleaded no contest Wednesday to multiple charges after authorities said he sent himself photos and videos of children being sexually abused, court documents show.

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Records show Dr. David Rerko, 63, of Fort Lauderdale, is set to be sentenced in July.

Rerko, then 61 and living in Lighthouse Point, was working on behalf of a “third-party contractor” at Broward Health North at the time of his September 2024 arrest. After his arrest, hospital officials said they revoked his privileges and state records show he later surrendered his medical license.

BSO detectives said an online tip from Yahoo revealed that Rerko emailed himself 122 files of child sexual abuse material and 117 files described as “child erotica.”

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Authorities said at the bottom of every email was a signature, “David Rerko, MD,” and said the photos and videos depicted girls between the ages of 8 and 13.

Broward court records show his attorneys asked for a downward departure in his sentencing in March, stating that Rerko suffers from an unspecified “mental disorder” and said the former physician committed the offense in an “unsophisticated manner” and was an “isolated incident” for which he has “shown remorse.”

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Documents show he’s set to be sentenced on July 8.