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Retired judge charged with possessing child pornAuthorities: Tape of Thompson having sex with young boy
CAMDEN, New Jersey (CNN) -- A retired New Jersey State judge was charged Thursday with possessing child pornography and transporting the images across state and country lines. Stephen Thompson, 57, a 14-year veteran of the New Jersey State Superior Court, was charged during an initial court appearance in federal court. He had already been charged in state court with possessing child pornography. Investigators said Thompson, who has handled a number of Megan's Law cases in his role as a judge, traveled to Russia and had sex with a teenage boy. Megan's Law requires certain sexual offenders to register with law enforcement authorities and provides for community notification in some cases. In cooperation with state and county authorities, the case has been taken over by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie. Thompson is charged with two federal counts of child pornography. Count one of the complaint charges Thompson with possession of child pornography on his computer. Count two charges him with traveling to Russia to have sex with a teenage boy for the purpose of making a videotape. If convicted on both charges, Thompson faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000. Thompson, who did not enter a plea during his court appearance in front of U.S. Magistrate Joel Rosen, is being held in federal court until an August 26 detention hearing. "Prosecutors are seeking for Thompson to remain in detention pending trial because they consider him a danger to the community and a flight risk," said U.S Attorney spokesman Michael Drewniak. In a criminal complaint made public Thursday, the FBI said it discovered a safe in Thompson's New Jersey home containing 17 videotapes of hard-core pornography involving children as young as 10. Authorities said they found a 40-minute videotape depicting Thompson engaging in sexual acts with a Russian teenager between 13 and 16 years of age. According to the criminal complaint, the tape was shot last September in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Authorities said they also found scores of other materials connected to child pornography -- such as magazines containing child pornography, materials from the North American Man Boy Love Association, papers listing the age of consent in countries around the world and in the United States, more than 300 printed images of child pornography and 57 computer disks containing thousands of images of child pornography -- in the safe. "The sexual abuse and depictions of children described in this criminal complaint are abhorrent," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said. "It is unfathomable that a judge who holds a position of public trust and is sworn to protect the rights of people would engage in such conduct." Calls made after hours to Thompson's lawyer, Leonard Baker, were not returned.
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