Eric Justin TothA former D.C. teacher who was named to the FBI’s 10 most-wanted list was sentenced to 25 years in prison today on production of child pornography charges.
Eric Toth, a 32-year-old former private school teacher and camp counselor, pleaded guilty in December to three counts of production of child pornography and one count each of misuse of a Social Security number and identity theft, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia’s office. Toth took photos and video of children while working as a teacher in D.C. in 2006, as a camp counselor in Wisconsin in 2005 and at a home in Maryland in 2007.
Toth left the Washington, D.C. area in 2008, amid an investigation that began with the discovery of pornographic images on a school camera that had been in his possession. After charges were filed against him, he became the subject of an international search and later was placed on the FBI’s list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. He was apprehended in Nicaragua last year and pled guilty in December 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“For the next 25 years, Eric Toth will be where he deserves to be – in a federal prison
where he cannot harm any more children,” U.S. Attorney Ron Machen said in a release. “Behind bars, Toth will no longer be able to manipulate and sexually exploit our most vulnerable victims. The FBI deserves tremendous credit for tracking Toth to Nicaragua and bringing him to the District of Columbia to face justice. The five-year manhunt that led to his capture demonstrates the depth of our commitment to defending children from sexual predators.”
After he’s released, Toth will register as a sex offender and be place on supervised release.
