New Jersey Superior Court Judge Stephen
W. Thompson, who traveled to Russia
to have sex with a teenage boy, was
convicted by a federal jury last week
on a charge of sexual exploitation
of children.
The
judge also produced a videotape of
sex with a minor and then transported
that videotape back to the United
States. Judge Thompson is associated
with the North American Man Boy Love
Association, a group which promotes
sexual relations between adult men
and children. NAMBLA is currently
represented by the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU).
After merely 10 hours of deliberations,
the jury convicted Judge Thompson,
59, 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.
On the count in which he was convicted,
Judge Thompson faces a mandatory minimum
sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
US District Judge Joseph E. Irenas,
who presided over the three-week trial,
remanded the defendant to the custody
of the federal Bureau of Prisons.
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.
During the searches, 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; and 57 floppy disks
containing more than 6,000 thousands
of images of child pornography.
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 US 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.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth
vice-president of the National Association
of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief
at a New York City housing project
in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack
City" by reporters covering the
drug war in the 1980s. In addition,
he served as director of public safety
at a New Jersey university and director
of security for several major organizations.
He's also served on the National Drug
Task Force and trained police and
security officers throughout the country.
He writes for many police and security
magazines including Chief of Police,
Police Times, The Narc Officer and
others, and he's a columnist for TheConservativeVoice.Com,
AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com,
MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated
by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as
on-air commentator for over 100 TV
and radio news and talk shows including
Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline
News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book
Assume The Position is available at
Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and
can be ordered at local bookstores.
If you wish to sign up for his intelligence
reports, write to JimKouriReports@aol.com.
Kouri's own website is located at
http://jimkouri.us |