Eric Justin Toth (alias/a.k.a. David Bussone) (born February 13, 1982) is an American former fugitive and sex offender convicted of possessing and producing

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a chi ...

. On April 10, 2012, Toth replaced

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...

on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list as the 495th fugitive to be placed on that list by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

. One alleged reason he was chosen for the list is that his distinctive appearance—he is tall and thin, with a mole under his left eye—would make it hard for him to hide if his case became well publicized. Toth was captured in Esteli,

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

on April 10, 2013 and extradited on April 22, 2013, to the United States to face trial.

Biography

Eric Toth was born in

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the ...

, and was raised in Highland, Indiana. Toth attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

for a year and transferred to

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in education. In 2008, he was accused of producing pornographic photographs and video footage of young boys while working as a third-grade teacher in Washington, D.C. Toth has often been described as a computer expert; he has demonstrated above-average knowledge regarding computers, the use of the Internet, and security awareness. Toth has the ability to integrate into various socio-economic classes and is an expert at

social engineering Social engineering may refer to: * Social engineering (political science), a means of influencing particular attitudes and social behaviors on a large scale * Social engineering (security), obtaining confidential information by manipulating and/or ...

. He used

social networking A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

sites regularly. His educational background was conducive to gaining employment in fields having a connection to children. Some have described Toth as a

compulsive liar Pathological lying, also known as ''mythomania'' and ''pseudologia fantastica'', is a chronic behavior in which the person habitually or compulsively lies. These lies often serve no obvious purpose other than to paint oneself as a hero or victi ...

. Toth was captured by the Nicaraguan police in April 2013 in Estelí, a northern city of Nicaragua. He was immediately extradited to the United States to face trial.

Sentence

In March 2014, Toth was sentenced in federal court to 25 years in prison. He is currently incarcerated at FCI Fort Dix.

References

External links

Toth's FBI Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive Alert

Additional information from ''America's Most Wanted''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toth, Eric Justin 1982 births 21st-century American criminals American people convicted of child pornography offenses American people of Slovak descent Cornell University alumni Elder High School alumni Fugitives Living people Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government Purdue University College of Education alumni Schoolteachers from Washington, D.C. Violence against men in North America