Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, the man whose former Philadelphia home is now at the center of several missing persons investigations, provided the federal government with information about crimes against children as well as marijuana trafficking, according to newly unsealed documents. Horsch died in 2025 at age 82. In 2009, he faced federal charges following a raid at his former home in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, where police found an illegal marijuana grow operation. A federal judge later sentenced Horsch to more than four years in prison and five years of supervised release. As part of his guilty plea, Horsch agreed to provide information valuable to authorities. In exchange, prosecutors suggested a more lenient sentence, according to documents filed Tuesday. According to documents unsealed Thursday, that information “involved crimes against minors, including child prostitution, marijuana and cocaine trafficking and fraud.” “In this case, the government advised that the defendant came forward with information about serious criminal conduct of others, and debriefed agents fully,” a document from prosecutors filed in 2012 said. The information Horsch provided to federal investigators “was deemed credible and reliable.” However, information he provided about “targets” involving crimes against children could not be pursued. Investigators also noted that the information about drug trafficking “was dated” and “had limited use.” Prosecutors noted Horsch’s willingness to share information in exchange for leniency “placed him at some current and future risk of harm or harassment.” Because Horsch provided the information, prosecutors recommended a prison sentence below the statutory minimum. A federal judge unsealed the documents Thursday after The Philadelphia Inquirer filed a motion to unseal the records in the earlier case. A self-portrait of Raymond “R.C.” Horsch appears to have been uploaded to Wikipedia in 2018. The image itself is dated 2014. “The defendant possesses skills and intelligence far beyond those of most defendants who turn to crime,” prosecutors said. “While the defendant apparently applied his skills to some lawful pursuits, he remained involved in criminal activity.” Records obtained by the NBC10 Investigators show Horsch was released from federal prison in 2013. He would have served four years in custody with credit for time awaiting trial. It remains unclear when his supervised release ended. Other documents tied to the federal case, including transcripts from at least two hearings, remained sealed. At least seven missing women are tied to Horsch’s former home on Chew Avenue, Philadelphia police and the FBI said in September. Searches of the home have revealed no evidence of human remains. Last month, detectives said they continued to review more than 1 million digital files connected to the case. The 2012 federal document referred to what it called “child prostitution,” language that is also described as the commercial sexual exploitation of a child. NBC10 investigative reporter David Charns can be reached at [email protected]. ...read more read less