VCAC Fugitives on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List

To date, there have been five Violent Crimes Against Children program subjects placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list:

Eric Franklin Rosser
Placed on list in 2000; captured in 2001

On December 27, 2000, Eric Franklin Rosser became the first child predator to be placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Rosser was charged with the production, distribution, receipt, and transportation of child pornography, as well as conspiracy to do the same. His offenses included the production of a videotape in Thailand that allegedly depicted sexually explicit conduct between him and an 11-year-old female child. In February 2000, Rosser was arrested in Thailand on various charges, including possessing child pornography. He was released on bail and disappeared. A federal grand jury in Indianapolis, Indiana indicted Rosser in March 2000. After a tip from the public, Rosser was again arrested in Thailand on August 21, 2001. The Thai police said Rosser underwent liposuction, had cosmetic surgery to his face, and then traveled to the Netherlands, England, and France before returning to Thailand and being arrested. Rosser served a two-year sentence in Thailand and was then extradited to the United States. Rosser pled guilty and was sentenced on October 24, 2003 to more than 16 years in federal prison. Rosser’s co-conspirator, William Platz, was sentenced in June 2000 to 11 years in prison.

Michael Scott Bliss
Placed on list in 2002; captured in 2002

On January 31, 2002, Michael Scott Bliss became the second child predator to be placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Bliss was being sought by the FBI for the repeated molestation of a 9-year-old female victim in Vermont. Bliss videotaped these molestations, and the videos were converted to computer files for possible placement on the Internet. Bliss had a violent criminal history toward children and served nine years in state prison for committing aggravated assault against his girlfriend’s minor children. During that incident, Bliss repeatedly struck three of his girlfriend’s children with an aluminum baseball bat, rendering two of them unconscious. Bliss was released from prison just two months before the alleged molestations of the 9-year-old began. Bliss was arrested in Los Angeles, California on April 23, 2002 and was charged in Vermont with 11 federal counts of various statutes related to sexual exploitation of children. Bliss pled guilty to all 11 counts on June 2, 2003 and was sentenced on February 18, 2004 to 22 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Richard Steve Goldberg
Placed on list in 2002; captured in 2007

On June 14, 2002, Richard Steve Goldberg became the third child predator to be placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Goldberg was being sought for engaging in lewd acts in Long Beach, California with several girls under 10 years old. He also produced and possessed child pornography images of these sex acts, which were found on his computer. Goldberg gained the trust of his victims’ parents and then befriended their children. He entertained the girls by allowing them to play with his pets, watch television, and use his computer to play games. Some of these girls also took short trips with him. In July 2001, a state arrest warrant was issued in California charging Goldberg with six counts of lewd acts upon a child and two counts of possession of child pornography. On November 25, 2002, a federal arrest warrant was issued charging Goldberg with the production of child pornography and the unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. On May 12, 2007, Goldberg was arrested in Montreal by Canadian authorities and was extradited to the United States to face federal and state charges of sexual exploitation of children, unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, lewd acts upon a child, and possession of child pornography. Goldberg pled guilty and was sentenced on December 10, 2007 to 20 years in federal prison.

Jon Savarino Schillaci
Placed on list in 2007; captured in 2008

On September 7, 2007, Jon Savarino Schillaci became the fourth child predator to be placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Schillaci was being sought for the alleged 1999 sexual assault of a young boy in Deerfield, New Hampshire. Prior to the alleged sexual abuse, Schillaci corresponded with the boy’s family while serving time in a Texas prison for a child molestation conviction. After his release, Schillaci moved in with the family, who offered him an opportunity at a new life. The alleged sexual abuse occurred later that year. A Rockingham County Superior Court bench warrant was issued for Schillaci in late 1999, and in April 2000, a federal arrest warrant was issued charging Schillaci with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. After almost nine years on the run, Schillaci was captured on June 5, 2008 in San José de Gracia, Michoacán, Mexico. On December 22, 2009, Schillaci was sentenced to 20 to 50 years in prison. He is currently incarcerated in Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility and will be eligible for parole in December 2039.

Eric Justin Toth
Placed on list in 2012; captured in 2013

On April 10, 2012, Eric Justin Toth became the fifth child predator to be placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Toth, a former private school teacher and camp counselor, had been sought for his alleged production and possession of child pornography. The investigation into Toth began in June 2008 after pornographic images were found on a school camera that had been in his possession. On June 27, 2008, an arrest warrant was issued for Toth out of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for possession of child pornography and, on December 1, 2008, he was indicted in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland for production of child pornography. On April 20, 2013, Toth was taken into custody in Nicaragua.