Legal Commentary

Former U.N. Inspector Scott Ritter Facing New Underage Sex Charges

By Jeralyn

Scott Ritter, former chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991-98, is facing charges involving internet sex with a 15 year old. It was a sting.

The online conversation occurred in February 2009, but the investigation lasted until November, when Ritter was charged, because police had to undergo the lengthy process of obtaining court orders to get Ritter's cell phone and computer information.

Ritter is awaiting his next appearance in Monroe County Common Pleas Court. He waived his right last month to a preliminary hearing and is free on $25,000 unsecured bail.

The Affidavit in Support of his arrest is here (pdf). He had a similar charge dismissed in New York in 2001. The DA held a press conference today on the case. [More...]

"The officer assumes the identity of a minor," said Assistant District Attorney Michael Rakaczewski, who is prosecuting Ritter's case. "What happens is [the detective] basically waits for an individual, such as Mr. Ritter, to contact him. From there he engages the defendant in sexually explicit situations, and in this case it culminated in the defendant exposing himself."

So they have the video of him exposing himself and mast*rbating on a webcam. He was in a Yahoo instant messenger chat room, using the name "del4marm." He gave the undercover cop his cell phone phone number to call him during the session.

Pretty gross. And stupid. According to the affidavit, Ritter turned off the webcam when the phony victim claimed to be 15. But then he turned it on again so s/he could "watch him finish."

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 14, 2010 (boomark / email).