A former private school teacher and camp counselor facing child
pornography charges was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
list Tuesday.
Eric Justin Toth, also
known as David Bussone, was a third grade teacher at the National
Cathedral's Beauvoir school in Washington, D.C., in 2008 when
pornographic images were found on a school camera that had allegedly
been in his possession. Toth went missing while the initial
investigation was under way. He was later indicted in Washington for
possession of child pornography and in Maryland for production of child
pornography.
An FBI official said Toth allegedly installed a camera in a bathroom adjacent to his classroom which was used by students.
Toth, 30, is 6 feet, 3
inches tall, weighs approximately 155 pounds and has brown hair and
green eyes. The FBI issued a wanted poster with several photos of the
suspect.
The agency described Toth
as a computer expert who has above average knowledge of the Internet.
He graduated from Purdue University with an education degree and the FBI
poster says "he may advertise online as a tutor or male nanny."
According to the FBI,
since he left the Washington area, Toth is believed to have traveled to
Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. He was last seen in a
homeless shelter in Phoenix in 2009.
The FBI hopes adding Toth
to the most wanted list and offering a reward of up to $100,000 will
bring in new tips and lead to his arrest. An FBI statement notes the
former teacher has eluded capture despite various media reports about
the case and his being featured on the "America's Most Wanted"
television program.
The May 2011 raid by U.S.
forces in Pakistan which killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden opened
up the spot on the Top Ten list which Toth now fills. "There is no
comparison to be made between Toth and bin Laden," said FBI Supervisory
Special Agent Jacqueline Maguire. "Although Eric Toth has not murdered
anyone and he is not an international terrorist, that does not mean he
isn't dangerous."
"We are very concerned
that he may be in contact with other children, so we are asking for the
public's assistance to help us capture him," Maguire added.
Alleged Boston mobster
James Whitey Bulger, also on the FBI Top Ten list, was arrested in
California in June. He is still pictured on the list with a banner
underneath his face saying "captured." The FBI has not yet announced who
will fill Bulger's slot.
Toth is the 495th person
to be put on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, which was
created in 1950. The FBI says 465 of those fugitives were found, 153 of
them as a result of help from the public.
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