The FBI on Wednesday raided the home of Scott Ritter, the former United Nations weapons inspector and convicted sex predator who has collaborated with isolationist organizations such as the Ron Paul Institute and the Quincy Institute.
Ritter's New York home was searched by federal authorities as part of an investigation, though details about the probe remain unclear as of Thursday morning. Ritter, an anti-Israel conspiracy theorist and fanboy of Russian president Vladimir Putin, was sent to prison in 2011 for exposing himself to a cop posing as a 15-year-old girl.
An FBI spokesman confirmed the raid took place, telling Fox News that agency "personnel are at a home on Dover [Drive] conducting law enforcement activity in connection with an ongoing federal investigation." Since the investigation "is ongoing," the FBI could not comment further.
Ritter, in comments following the raid, said that he has "nothing to hide" and that the investigation is "related to a concern the U.S. government has about violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act," which mandates that those who work for foreign governments disclose their ties.
The sex pest said that "there's no doubt" he was targeted by the government for his advocacy on behalf of Russia. The FBI reportedly took more than 25 boxes of evidence from Ritter's home.
Ritter, who was also arrested twice in 2001 for trying to meet up with 14- and 15-year-old girls, is known for his connections to the libertarian and isolationist movements.
The Ron Paul Institute, named after the isolationist former congressman, tapped Ritter as a featured speaker at its 2022 symposium, the Washington Free Beacon reported. During the event, Ritter slammed American support for Ukraine amid the country's war against Russia.
Ritter also has ties to the Quincy Institute, an isolationist think tank bankrolled by liberal billionaires George Soros and Charles Koch. Ritter authored an article for the think tank's website published in December 2020. Quincy later pulled the article, which downplayed the threat posed by Russia's hack attacks on the U.S. government, after critics noted his history as a convicted sex predator.
The Libertarian Party also dealt with internal revolt last year when it invited Ritter to participate in an anti-war rally. Participants threatened to abandon the event, citing Ritter's sex crimes. Ritter eventually pulled out of the event.
One day before the raid, on Tuesday, Ritter met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a burger joint. Last year, Kennedy and Ritter sat down for a podcast interview, during which Ritter said Putin "will go down in history as one of the greatest leaders of all time."