The FBI conducted a raid on the home of Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector, in upstate New York on Wednesday. This search is part of an ongoing federal investigation, according to FBI spokeswoman Sarah Ruane, who spoke to WNYT. Specific details about the investigation were not provided.
Witnesses observed agents photographing and examining vehicles at Ritter’s property shortly after noon. Both marked and unmarked police cars were present at the scene, and Ritter was not home during the search.
Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department revoked Ritter’s passport. He was stopped at John F. Kennedy Airport by Customs and Border Protection officers while trying to board a flight to Russia, leading to his passport being seized.
Ritter, who resigned in 1998 as the chief weapons inspector in Iraq, had criticized the Clinton administration and the United Nations for their lack of rigorous weapons inspections. In 2011, Ritter was convicted on several charges following a child sex sting operation. He was found guilty of misdemeanor indecent exposure and felony charges, including criminal use of a communications device and unlawful conduct with a minor.
During his trial, the prosecution showed video evidence of Ritter performing a sexual act for someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl named “Emily,” who was actually an undercover detective. Ritter was sentenced to five and a half years in prison and was paroled in December 2014.
The raid on Ritter’s home highlights ongoing federal scrutiny, although the specific reasons for the current investigation remain unclear.
