He admitted to having designed, constructed, and possessed the devices. He also admitted to having detonated an explosive device in the backyard of his home, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

TAMPA – A Tampa man who admitted to setting off a “pipe bomb” in his back yard was sentenced to one year in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said.

Joseph David Caltagirone, 61, of Tampa, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for possessing an unregistered destructive device. Caltagirone pleaded guilty Dec. 10.

According to court documents, on April 11, members of the Tampa Police Department bomb squad were conducting training on N 12^th Street when they heard a loud explosion. They saw a large greyish-white smoke plume several blocks away, rising above East Columbus Drive. Officers canvassed the neighborhood, eventually locating Caltagirone’s residence. (For related stories, click here and click here.)

Inside that residence, law enforcement 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, sealed at each end by PVC end caps, and an improvised initiator. The pipe contained Tannerite, an explosive mixture. Had the device exploded, it could have projected PVC fragments at high velocities in all directions.

Caltagirone admitted to having designed, constructed, and possessed the devices. He also admitted to having detonated an explosive device in the backyard of his residence—a house in a densely populated neighborhood just north of Ybor City and only a few blocks from a middle school.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department.

U.S. Attorney | Courts | Crime | Bomb | Tampabay News

#USAttorney #Courts #Crime #Bomb #TampabayNews