Ritter had already made his about turn over Iraq by the time of this arrest. In July of 2000 he accepted $400K from Saddam's US-based front-man Shakir al-Khafaji to go to Baghdad and make a propagandistic "documentary" featuring interviews with the likes of Tariq Aziz. This extraordinary reversal must have piqued the curiosity of US intelligence. It could well be that they developed evidence regarding Ritter's vulnerability and used the sting to get something on him for use at the appropriate time.
Very good point. That is one possibility. The other possibility, conspiratorially speaking, assumes also that Ritter had already been comprimised by the Saddamites. When caught in the sting he was under the protection of the most evil and sinister dictator on the planet (Saddam was also armed with biological and chemical WMD). Scottie could of thought, heck no one can touch him now. Why not risk exposing his sick pervertion ? Saddam the Butcher of Baghdad was protecting and controlling him, not to mention the Anthrax armed terrorists living within the US. For an assistant DA to cower in front of a Saddam protected individual, displays just how intricate and widespread the Saddam protection web might be.