AVALON — The state Office of Attorney Ethics wants to make sure a former Superior Court Judge serving time in federal prison for sex crimes can never practice law again.
Stephen W. Thompson, 62, of Avalon and Haddon Township, was temporarily suspended on Nov. 7, 2005 pending the outcome of federal criminal proceedings against him for traveling to Russia to engage in sexual relations with a teenage boy for the purpose of videotaping the act and transporting the tape back to the United States.
Thompson had been a judge in Camden County for 14 years before resigning in 2003.
A raid of Thompson’s homes in April 2003 produced child pornography including an incriminating videotape of Thompson engaged in sexual relations with a boy of between 13 and 16 years of age.
Thompson’s defense suggested that his pedophilic tendencies are a result of traumatic injuries, including the loss of a leg and genital mutilation, he suffered as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Thompson received a Purple Heart medal for his injuries.
In 2006, Thompson was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and fined $25,000 for his crimes.
On Oct. 21, 2008, a motion was made to the state Supreme Court to disbar Thompson.
On Jan. 20 this year, Thompson’s case was heard. The court will make a final decision on Thompson’s legal career in the near future.
Meanwhile, he will spend at least six more years in prison. He is currently residing in Federal Correctional Institution in Forrest City in eastern Arkansas.
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com
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