Scott Ritter criminal case costs prosecutor her job (Albany Times-Union)

Albany Times-Union ^ | 1/20/03 | Staff reports

[Jean S]

Scott Ritter criminal case costs prosecutor her job

Handling of charges against ex-U.N. inspector sparks action

Staff reports

First published: Monday, January 20, 2003

Colonie-- The 2001 arrest of former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter came to light late last week when an Albany County assistant district attorney was fired over her handling of the case.

Ritter -- an outspoken critic of President Bush's plan for war against Iraq -- was arrested by Colonie police in June 2001 after he allegedly was caught in an Internet sex-sting operation, according to a published report.

Ritter, of Delmar, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge after he allegedly had a sexual chat on the Internet with an undercover investigator posing as an underage girl, The Daily News reported Sunday, citing law enforcement sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A judge sealed the case after it was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal. Colonie police on Sunday declined to discuss the case, citing the sealing order.

Last week, District Attorney Paul Clyne fired Assistant District Attorney Cynthia Preiser for her handling of the case, saying Preiser failed to notify him about a "sensitive" case.

Clyne said he launched an internal inquiry into the matter after a reporter from The Daily Gazette of Schenectady asked about a case involving Ritter.

"Based on that inquiry, I determined that I should have been apprised of the existence of the case," Clyne told the Times Union. "I was not, so Cindy Preiser was fired for failure to keep me abreast of what was going on in Colonie court." Clyne declined to discuss Ritter's arrest.

No one answered the phone at Ritter's home on Sunday.

Ritter, a 41-year-old native of Gainesville, Fla., moved to the Capital Region two years ago with his wife and twin daughters.

Ritter once led a weapons inspection team in Iraq, but in recent months he's gained attention as an outspoken critic of a new U.S. war with Iraq. Ritter has aired his views on CNN, at news conferences and in numerous interviews.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Ritter, then a Marine, was sent to Saudi Arabia to help determine where Saddam Hussein was hiding Scud missiles. Ritter left the Marine Corps after the war and was hired by the U.N. to lead a weapons inspection team specializing in concealment.

At the time, Ritter said Iraq was "winning its bid to retain its prohibited weapons."

But Ritter seemingly has had a change of heart and now speaks out about a U.S. war against Iraq. He claims inspections could keep Hussein in check.

In a move that led many to label him a traitor, Ritter on Sept. 8 became the first American to speak to the Iraq National Assembly. He told the Middle East nation that it needed to allow weapons inspectors to return.

[Nubbin]

Pathetic...BTT

[Tacis]

There is a lot more to this than meets the eye!!

Why would a seasoned ADA stick her neck out to protect a high visibility perv? It doesn't make sense. My bet is that there is a lot more being covered up here. Ritter has lived in that area for two years. Why would an ADA cover for him unless she was well paid. Is the charge bad enough that it would effect Ritter's credibility? He didn't have any. And, if the ADA covered for him here, what else did she cover? How did the DA find out about this charge? Is the DA searching to see if there were/are other coverups? If not, why not?

[joesnuffy]

Charges of pedophilia have been taking down a lot of high profiles lately
Wonder how many higher profiles skate

[joesnuffy]

Charges of pedophilia have been taking down a lot of high profiles lately
Wonder how many higher profiles skate

[Reactionary]

It certainly looks like someone covered up for Ritter so they could make use of him later on. That "someone" is obviously someone well connected. We need to find out who it was.

[cynicom]

Whitewash from the gitgo. Wonder if the law in Gainesville has anything on their books????

[Reactionary]

He was arrested in New York, correct? Does anyone know what congressional district this is?

I smell a DNC/Hillary operation.

[McGavin999]

Chances are this is not the first time. I suggest that Iraq found out about Scott's little "preferences" and were using them to blackmail him. He's always seemed to be in a bit of a panic to convice us that Iraq is innocent. Everyone thought it was because of the film money, but he was too panicy for it to just be about money.

[mewzilla]

So, whose sting operation was it, locals or Feds? Sometimes in a Fed operation they'll ask the locals to make the actual arrest. Why did the ADA hide this? Who esle knew besides the arresting officers, the ADA and the judge? And if the Feds knew about this arrest, why the heck have they kept quiet about Ritter?

[mewzilla]

Ritter moved to the area two years ago? So he took up cruising the net for kids right after he arrived!? Does anyone else think that there's a pretty good chance this wasn't the first time he's done this...

[okie01]

"Why would a seasoned ADA stick her neck out to protect a high visibility perv? It doesn't make sense. My bet is that there is a lot more being covered up here. Ritter has lived in that area for two years. Why would an ADA cover for him unless she was well paid."

Your questions are valid. Something is going on here.

By the same token, why is it that the local TV station (WNYT) had video of the arrest and a mug shot of "William Ritter" -- yet, couldn't seem to connect the affair with Scott Ritter? Who, as you note, had been a high-visibility resident of the area for two years.

Incompetent journalists? Or an arranged oversight? By whom? In whose behalf?

I suggest that anybody who might know the answers to these questions will not want to reveal them...

[okie01]

This was not the first time. It was revealed on another thread that Ritter fell for the same stunt three months prior, in March. Was arrested...and let off with a warning.

Even more reason to question the whitewash job on what turns out to be the second arrest.

[mewzilla]

Whoa. He was arrested previously for something like this? Where? And that ex-ADA let Ritter off anyway!?

[okie01]

Source for multiple arrest for underage solicitation:

Update: TV station has video of Ritter bust at BK. See post #53, from local TV station WGRB.

[okie01]

see #15

[Nick Danger]

Does anyone else think that there's a pretty good chance this wasn't the first time he's done this...

His arrest wasn't even the first time he'd done it there. The first time he showed up to meet a "girl" he'd chatted up on the Internet, the cops told him he'd been 'stung' and he should consider it a warning. The second time he did it -- only a few months later -- they arrested him.

Ritter has two daughters. The news story doesn't tell us how old they are, but if I was his wife, I'd start wondering about this guy. Someone that high-profile, who gets the courtesy of a warning, and who can't stop doing it... has a problem.

[mewzilla]

Holy cats. Forget Mr. UNSCUM for the moment. That damned ex-ADA has some explaining to do.

[The Great Satan]

The news story doesn't tell us how old they are, but if I was his wife, I'd start wondering about this guy.

If you were Ritter's wife, you'd be a Russian spy.

[mewzilla]

Don't get me started on the subject of Mrs. UNSCUM :)

[Fred Mertz]

That's what I always suspected too. LOL

[Reactionary]

"This was not the first time. It was revealed on another thread that Ritter fell for the same stunt three months prior, in March. Was arrested...and let off with a warning."

This adds a whole new dimension to this case. Someone is obviously taking care of Ritter, protecting him, and using the threat of blackmail for political purposes. We need to find out who's doing it.

Call me crazy, but the fact that he's been arrested multiple times and let go tells me that a well-connected democrat is pulling the strings.

[zeaal]

It may have only been Ritter's second arrest but how many times has he been successful in luring underage girls to meeting him?

[zeaal]

"well-connected democrat"

Terry M?

[xm177e2]

I've long suspected he was a pedo (or had some other dark and horrible secret) and was being blackmailed by someone (probably Saddam), but it's not nice to accuse people of such things, even hypothetically, so I don't think I ever posted on it.

[okie01]

"Call me crazy, but the fact that he's been arrested multiple times and let go tells me that a well-connected democrat is pulling the strings."

Well, you might say it's a Democrat crime.

Wouldn't have a well-connected Democrat in mind, would you? One with New York ties, I would imagine...

I wonder who the late Cynthia Preiser was associated with, politically.

[billclintonwillrotinhell]

One would think that, somewhere along the line, police
seized his computer or put a tap on him to make sure there
aren't any real kids out there being lured to Burger King
for a Scott Ritter Whopper special. However, judging from
the police and prosecutors' actions that we know of so far,
maybe they didn't.

Also, would this be grounds for his twin daughters to be
interviewed by child protective services?

[billclintonwillrotinhell]

Why isn't this Ritter case plastered all over Fox News
Channel??? I mean I expect dan rather and peter jennings
to do their usual cover-up dance, but I would hope Fox News
would pursue this story wholeheartedly, especially the
blackmail angle. Have they done anything on it yet?

In fact, with Gary Hart thinking about another presidential
run, it would be a great time for a package report on
the danger that blackmail presents to our national security
these days.