Sealed records reveal Horsch’s cooperation deal with federal prosecutors

Raymond “R.C.” Horsch faced a potential 15-year minimum sentence in a federal marijuana and firearms case. A cooperation agreement reached with prosecutors in 2012 helped reduce his sentence to 54 months in prison, court filings disclosed on October 27. He also received three years of supervised release.

The agreement’s terms and the information Horsch provided remain sealed. Federal prosecutors agreed to release most records sought in a request to unseal the case, but argued that the sentencing transcript and a related motion contain sensitive details about his cooperation. Prosecutors said Horsch did not testify against another defendant.

Horsch’s federal case ran alongside a Philadelphia case involving allegations that he tried to lure a nine-year-old girl into his vehicle. He was convicted of a misdemeanor corruption charge in 2010, but the charges later collapsed after the child did not appear for a second trial. It is unclear whether that case affected the federal government’s decision to offer him a cooperation deal.

A former federal prosecutor questioned whether Horsch’s information justified the substantial sentence reduction and said officials should have carefully assessed his credibility. A defense attorney said cooperation agreements are common and that sealed records could contain sensitive information about other people or investigations.

Horsch, who died last year at 82, later became connected to an investigation involving at least seven missing or presumed-dead women. The judge has not yet ruled on whether the remaining records will be made public. The request to unseal them is continuing.