Man Who Detonated Explosive Device In Tampa Pleads Guilty To Federal Destructive Device Charge

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Joseph David Caltagirone (61, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered destructive device. Caltagirone faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, on April 11, 2018, members of the Tampa Police Department Bomb Squad were conducting training on North 12^th Street in Tampa when they heard a loud explosion. The officers observed a large greyish-white smoke plume several blocks away, rising above East Columbus Drive. They canvassed the neighborhood, eventually ending up at Caltagirone’s residence.

Inside that residence, officers discovered PVC piping, a hobby fuse, and precursor chemicals such as potassium nitrate, air float charcoal, and sulfur. Officers also discovered an assembled destructive device resembling a “pipe bomb.” The device had been constructed using a PVC pipe and an improvised wire initiator. The pipe contained an explosive mixture called Tannerite. Exploding the device would have projected PVC fragments at high velocities in all directions. Caltagirone admitted to having designed, constructed, and possessed the devices.   

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.