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Judge in New Jersey charged with possessing child pornAuthorities: Tape of Thompson having sex with young boy
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A New Jersey state judge who retired amid accusations of child pornography was charged in federal court 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 in Camden, N.J. He initially was suspended when he was charged under the state statute April 30, and he retired from the bench at the end of May. In cooperation with state and county authorities, the case has been taken over by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie. 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. Thompson is charged with one federal count one alleging possession of child pornography on his computer and one count alleging he traveled 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 a Tuesday 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 they 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 St. Petersburg, Russia. Authorities said the safe also contained 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 discs containing thousands of images of child pornography. "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." Thompson's lawyer, Leonard Baker, said he is still familiarizing himself with the case. "I'm looking forward to looking at the evidence to determine the government's strengths or weaknesses in the case," he told CNN. "He hasn't been indicted yet. By that time I hope to have seen the evidence and decide what's the best course for him."
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