Suspected Child Pornographer Added to FBI’s Most Wanted List

The FBI for the first time placed a child pornography suspect on its list of the 10 most wanted fugitives Wednesday--an American musician charged with producing and distributing explicit photos and videos from Thailand.

Eric Franklin Rosser, 48, a keyboard player who ran a music school for children in Bangkok, is wanted for numerous offenses including the production of a videotape in Thailand that depicts him having sex with an 11-year-old girl, the bureau said. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward.

Thai authorities arrested Rosser Feb. 9 on charges of lewd behavior and possession of pornographic materials after hundreds of explicit photographs and videos of apparently underage girls were found in his apartment. Rosser disappeared after being released on bail.

He has been sighted in Western Europe during the last few months, said Andreas Stephens, FBI chief for violent crimes.

Rosser, who played keyboard on a 1980 album by John Mellencamp, was a pianist at a Bangkok hotel. There, he gave music lessons to children from prominent families. Rosser has a wife and a 2-year-old son in Thailand.

The FBI has been increasing its focus on crimes against children in the last few years.

Rosser joins a list that includes Osama bin Laden, who is charged in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.