Tampa, Florida – Howard Joseph Vorder Bruegge, III (35, Tampa) has been arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint with possession and distribution of child pornography. Vorder Bruegge faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison for the distribution charge, and a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment for the possession charge. A federal judge has denied Vorder Bruegge’s request for bail and ordered him detained pending trial. Vorder Bruegge is a mathematics professor at Hillsborough Community College.
According to the complaint, an individual using the screen names “JoeBlow73” and “JoeBlowFL” had distributed child pornography on Kik Messenger, an internet-based communications app. Further investigation revealed that the IP address and subscriber information associated with those Kik accounts were linked to Vorder Bruegge and his Tampa residence.
On October 23, 2018, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at Vorder Bruegge’s home and seized several electronic devices. According to the complaint, during an interview with agents, Vorder Bruegge admitted to having distributed child pornography and that his cellphone contained images of child pornography. An examination of Vorder Bruegge’s cellphone revealed a collection of child-pornographic images and videos, including multiple videos involving infants. Federal agents arrested Vorder Bruegge at his home without incident.
