09-30-05 -- Thompson, Stephen W. -- Conviction -- News Release

Former Superior Court Judge Convicted of Sexual Exploitation of Children

CAMDEN - Former Superior Court Judge Stephen W. Thompson was convicted by a federal jury today on a charge of sexual exploitation of children for traveling to Russia to have sex with a young teenage boy for the purpose of producing a videotape and then transporting that videotape back to the United States, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

After 10 hours of deliberations, which began Wednesday, the jury convicted Thompson, 59, of Haddon Township and Avalon, of one count of traveling in interstate and foreign commerce with the intent of engaging in sexual conduct with a minor for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the sexual conduct. The jury found the defendant not guilty only by reason of insanity on count two, charging possession of child pornography.

The two-count Indictment was returned in December 2003. The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline M. Carle and Steven D'Aguanno.

On the count of conviction, Thompson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas, who presided over the three-week trial, remanded the defendant to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons.

On Aug. 21, 2003, Thompson was charged in a two-count Criminal Complaint filed in federal court in Camden. Thompson was first arrested on April 30, 2003, by New Jersey State Police and charged by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office with child endangerment charges in connection with the possession of images of child pornography. In cooperation with state and county authorities, the case was adopted for federal prosecution.

"Our goal from the outset was to see that Thompson was convicted and sent to prison for as long as possible to separate him from society in general and from innocent children in particular," said Christie. "We've accomplished that, and so I am very pleased with the verdict and respect the jury's decision."

"The guilty verdict should provide all of us with some sense of satisfaction that justice has been done," Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi said. "Yet there can be no truly satisfactory conclusion to the profound human tragedy of innocent children being victimized in ways that are shocking, disturbing and offensive."

"I commend the U.S. Attorney's Office and in particular the two trial prosecutors for their great dedication and skill," Sarubbi added. "The teamwork and partnership they forged in working with members of my office was first-rate. I also commend the jurors, who performed an unenviable duty with diligence and care."

According to trial testimony and evidence, on April 30, 2003, the State Police and Camden County Prosecutor's Office executed search warrants at both of Thompson's New Jersey residences and his judicial chambers located in the Camden County Hall of Justice. Authorities recovered 17 VHS tapes containing child pornography involving images of children engaged in sexually explicit acts, magazines containing child pornography and child erotica; materials associated with the North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA); an 8mm film containing child pornography; various papers containing the age of consent in countries all over the world, as well as in various states in the United States; more than 300 printed images of child pornography and child erotica; a laptop computer, a locked box containing 17 computer Zip disks, with each disk containing more than 200 images of child pornography; 57 floppy disks containing more than 6,000 thousands of images of child pornography; and a Cannon ZR40 digital video camera loaded with a videocassette.

One of the videocassettes found along with the video camera was played for the jury and contained what appeared to be tourist footage from a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, that Thompson made in September 2002. The scene then cuts to a hotel room with a young teenage boy under the age of 18, according to expert testimony. Thompson is heard telling an unidentified man speaking in Russian to ask the child to take off his clothes. As played for the jury, the camera appears to be placed on a piece of furniture in the hotel room and shortly thereafter, Thompson can be seen climbing naked onto the bed with the child and engaging in sexual acts with the child. The tape contains approximately 40 minutes of sexual footage of the child.

The jury heard the testimony of Dr. John S. O'Brien, a Philadelphia psychiatrist and prosecution witness. Dr. O'Brien testified that Thompson did not suffer from a severe mental disease or defect and disputed Thompson's claim that - at the time of his crimes - he suffered from a severe form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder stemming from war wounds and emotional trauma from his military service in Vietnam. Dr. O'Brien did find, however, that Thompson met the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia and testified as such.

The charge in Count One carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years to a maximum of 20 years, and a fine of up to $250,000.

In determining an actual sentence, Judge Irenas will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense and other factors. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

Christie credited Special Agents of the FBI's Cherry Hill Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John C. Eckenrode in Philadelphia, Investigators with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Sarubbi, and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Superintendent Col. Joseph Fuentes, with developing this case.

The Government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline M. Carle and Steven D'Aguanno of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.

- end -

Defense Attorneys: Edward Jacobs, Esq. Atlantic City

Leonard Baker, Esq. Haddonfield