By Steve Neavling
One of the country’s top federal narcotics prosecutors violated ethics rules last year after drunkenly handing his business card to Florida police during a hit-and-run investigation, the Associated Press reports, citing a Justice Department watchdog.
The revelation comes almost a year after the Associated Press released body-camera footage showing Joseph Ruddy, an assistant U.S. attorney in Tampa, involved in a Fourth of July crash. Ruddy was accused of hitting another car and fleeing the scene, then attempting to use his government position to influence the investigation’s outcome.
In the footage, a visibly impaired Ruddy struggled to stay upright, slurred his speech, and leaned on his pickup truck for support. Despite his state, he managed to hand over his Justice Department credentials to officers from both Tampa police and the sheriff’s department.
A Tampa police officer, surprised by the move, responded, “You realize when they pull my body-worn camera footage and they see this, this is going to go really bad.”
The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General released a report Wednesday that didn’t mention Ruddy by name but confirmed an assistant U.S. attorney had “engaged in misuse of position” by offering official credentials unsolicited. Ruddy’s case had already been referred to the inspector general’s office last year.
The report also found that the prosecutor involved drove under the influence and left the scene after the crash, behavior deemed “prejudicial to the government.” The case is now with the Justice Department’s Professional Misconduct Review Unit.
Despite being removed from several cases last year, Ruddy remains in his role as an assistant U.S. attorney. Neither he nor his attorney responded to requests for comment.
“While we cannot comment on specific personnel matters, the Department of Justice holds all personnel, including its assistant U.S. attorneys, to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct,” the department said in a statement. “We take all allegations of misconduct by Department personnel seriously and take appropriate action where warranted.”
