One of the nation’s most prolific federal narcotics prosecutors was caught offering his business card to police to avoid being charged in a hit-and-run while his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit, according to a report.
Joseph Ruddy, 59, was outside his home with a business card in hand when Tampa Police Department officers arrived to investigate the July 4 crash.
Appearing drunk in footage obtained by the Associated Press, Ruddy was seen hunched over his pickup truck when police arrived.
He waved his card at the oncoming officer while trying to stand up straight.
“What are you trying to give me?” the officer asked.
“You realize when they pull up my body-worn camera footage and they see this, this is going to be really bad.”
A witness told police Ruddy was not trying to “hit the brakes” when he crashed, according to the outlet.
“He kept walking and he swerved all the way. I was like, ‘No, he’s going to hurt somebody.’ So I just followed him until I got the tag number and just called and reported him,” said the witness.
US Attorney Joseph Ruddy is seen trying to hand over his Justice Department business card after July 4, 2023, hit and run.AP
Ruddy was arrested and booked at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.AP
The footage shows Ruddy admitting he fled the scene of the hit-and-run.
“You hit a vehicle and you ran away. You ran away because you were drunk. You probably didn’t realize you hit that vehicle,” said the officer, to which Ruddy appeared to nod his head in agreement, pausing before saying, “Yes.”
“Why don’t you stop?” the officer asked.
“I didn’t realize it was serious,” the prosecutor said in response.
Ruddy was observed barely able to stand upright when officers arrived at his home.AP
He was over twice the legal limit, having a blood alcohol level that registered at 0.17%.
Ruddy was charged with driving under the influence with property damage and was not charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
He allegedly swerved into the side of an SUV with a driver inside waiting to turn at a red light, cut a side mirror and tore off another piece of the vehicle, which was found stuck in the fender of Ruddy’s pickup truck.
More than two months removed from the incident, Ruddy represented the United States in court as recently as last week despite being charged with DUI.
The veteran prosecutor is scheduled to appear in court for his case on Sept. 27.AP
Ruddy was in court last Friday during a plea deal in the case of a Brazilian man arrested by the US Coast Guard with more than 3.3 tons of cocaine on a yacht off Guinea in West Africa.
The Justice Department confirmed to the outlet on Wednesday that the prosecutor has been withdrawn from three pending criminal cases and removed from his supervisory role at the US Attorney’s Office in Tampa.
Ruddy is known as one of the creators of Operation Panama Express (PANEX), which was a task force launched in 2000 with agents from the FBI, DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and members of the US Coast Guard to target cocaine smuggling by sea.
More than 90% of US Coast Guard drug interdictions at sea can be attributed to intelligence provided by PANEX, according to the report.
Most of the cases involving the 888 metric tons of cocaine destroyed by branches and the 2,776 suspected traffickers arrested between 2018 and 2022 were handled by Ruddy and his associates in Tampa.
Ruddy will next appear in court in his case on Sept 27.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
