AP obtained exclusive body-cam video showing one of the nation’s most prolific federal drug prosecutors offering police his Justice Department business card in an apparent attempt to blunt the fallout from a Fourth of July crash in which he is accused of drunkenly striking another vehicle and leaving. AP’s reporting also revealed that despite being charged, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Ruddy continued to appear in court for two more months, notching more wins for the federal drug smuggling task force he helped create. The story led the U.S. Justice Dept to pull Ruddy off three pending criminal cases and remove him from his supervisory role at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa.
Body cam catches elite federal prosecutor offering his Justice Department card in DUI crash arrest
In this image from video provided by the Tampa Police Department, Joseph Ruddy, a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa, hands his business card to Officer Taylor Grant, outside his home in Temple Terrace, Fla., on the evening of July 4, 2023. When police arrived at his house to investigate a hit-and-run, Ruddy, one of the nation’s most prolific federal narcotics prosecutors, was so drunk he could barely stand up straight, leaning on the tailgate of his pickup to keep his balance.
OFFICER TAYLOR GRANT / TAMPA POLICE DEPARTMENT