Eric Justin Toth (alias/a.k.a. David Bussone) (born February 13, 1982) is an American former

fugitive A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also kn ...

and

sex offender A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crim ...

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 on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list as the 495th fugitive to be placed on that list by the FBI. 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 Sovereign state, country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to ...

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, 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 L ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

, 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 a ...

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 Estelí (), officially Villa de San Antonio de Pavia de Estelí is a city and municipality within the Estelí department. It is the 3rd largest city in Nicaragua due to the high urbanization of its municipality, at 83%, with an urban population o ...

, 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 The Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix (FCI Fort Dix) is a low-security United States federal prison for male offenders in New Jersey. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. A satellite prison camp houses minimum-security male i ...

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