The FBI raided the home of Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector, in upstate New York on Wednesday. The raid is part of a federal investigation, as confirmed by FBI spokeswoman Sarah Ruane to WNYT. However, specific details about the investigation were not disclosed.
The search began in the early afternoon, with agents seen photographing and examining vehicles at Ritter’s property. Both marked and unmarked police cars were present at the scene, but Ritter was not home during the raid.
Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department revoked Ritter’s passport. He was intercepted at John F. Kennedy Airport by Customs and Border Protection officers while attempting to board a flight to Russia. His passport was subsequently seized and sent back to the State Department.
Ritter, who resigned in 1998 from his role as chief weapons inspector in Iraq, had criticized the Clinton administration and the United Nations for their inadequate weapons inspections.
ON ITIn 2011, he 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.
At his trial, the prosecution presented video evidence showing 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, though the exact reasons for the current investigation remain unclear.
