A former Washington private school teacher who was captured in Nicaragua after a year on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" fugitives list was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison in a child pornography case, according to The Washington Post.
A prosecutor had asked for a sentence of 30 years for Eric Justin Toth, who acknowledged using a camera disguised as an air freshener to capture video of children using a school bathroom, the Post reported. Toth's lawyer asked for 22 years.
Speaking to a federal court judge in Washington before he was sentenced, Toth apologized to his victims saying "I know I've hurt people, a lot of people," according to the Post. He said he recognized his actions have led people to distrust others.
"I've really contributed to making the world a kind of place I don't want to live in," said Toth, who was added to the FBI's Most Wanted list in 2012, where he filled a vacancy created by Osama bin Laden's death, the Post reported.
Toth, 32, became choked up speaking to Judge Rudolph Contreras, at points tearing up but at others attempting to joke, according to the Post. Toth, who will spend a lifetime on supervised release after he leaves prison, mentioned Google Glass and said he told his lawyer he could wear glasses that allow officials to see what he's seeing and ensure he is staying away from children.
He promised to spend his time in prison "trying to do penance in whatever humble ways I can," the Post reported.
Toth previously wrote in a letter to the judge that one of the things he wants to do is train seeing eye dogs as part of a prison program, according to the Post.
The prosecutor overseeing the case, Cassidy Pinegar, acknowledged that Toth had never distributed the images he took of children under his care, 17 in all and told the judge that Toth is "deeply disturbed and needs treatment," the Post reported.
Toth fled Washington in 2008 after images of child pornography were found on a camera he had used while a teacher at Beauvoir, a private elementary school, according to the Post. A media card containing more images was found at the school soon after, but Toth fled before police could arrest him. Authorities caught him in Nicaragua in April 2013.
Toth pleaded guilty in December to three counts of producing child pornography in addition to acknowledging that he placed a camera in a bathroom at the Beauvoir school, where he captured video of 15 children, the Post reported.
He acknowledged that as a camp counselor in Wisconsin in 2005 he took photos and video of a camper, as well, and said he also took photos and video of a child in Maryland, the Post reported. Toth also pleaded guilty to identity theft and misuse of a Social Security number for using others' identities while on the run.