The FBI conducted a raid on Wednesday at the New York home of Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector, as part of an ongoing federal investigation. FBI spokeswoman Sarah Ruane confirmed the search to WNYT but did not reveal any further details.
Witnesses reported that agents were seen photographing and searching vehicles at Ritter’s property shortly after noon. Both marked and unmarked police cars were present, and Ritter was reportedly not home during the operation.
Earlier this year, Ritter’s passport was revoked by the U.S. State Department. He was stopped by Customs and Border Protection officers at John F. Kennedy Airport as he was about to board a flight to Russia, leading to his passport being seized.
Ritter, who resigned from his position as chief weapons inspector in Iraq in 1998, had criticized the Clinton administration and the United Nations for their lack of rigorous weapons inspections. In 2011, he was convicted on multiple charges in a child sex sting operation. He was found guilty of misdemeanor indecent exposure and felony charges, including unlawful conduct with a minor and criminal use of a communications device.
During his trial, the jury was shown a video 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 released on parole in December 2014.
The reasons behind the current federal investigation and the raid on Ritter’s home remain undisclosed, indicating continued scrutiny of the former inspector.
