The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says it needs help locating other potential victims of a serial child exploiter from east Tennessee.
Last week, a federal grand jury in Knoxville returned a three-count indictment against James Thompson, 71, of Lookout Mountain. The indictment alleges that Thompson transported minors across state lines with the intent of engaging in sexual activity back in 2000.
But the FBI believes that Thompson, who was a youth wrestling coach, has been exploiting minors since then, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
“Potential victims most likely include males who were between the ages of 10 and 15 and may have been involved in various youth wrestling programs or youth hunting organizations,” the release says, adding that anyone “who believes that they were victimized by Thompson, or anyone who may have information about potential victims fitting this description” should call the FBI field office in Chattanooga.
Thompson has ties to Jackson County, Alabama, and that county’s sheriff’s office assisted in the investigation.
Thompson is in custody pending his trial, which is scheduled to begin on August 12. He pleaded not guilty on the charges, and faces a minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted.
The investigation into Thompson was part of a federal level effort to combat child exploitation.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse,” according to the release. “Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.”
The case bears resemblance to that of illegal alien Camilo Campos-Hurtado who lived for nearly 20 years in Franklin.
Campos-Hurtado is accused of using his position as a youth soccer coach to exploit young boys.
He was indicted earlier this year on four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of receiving visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, one count of using or possessing fraudulent immigration documents, and one count of possessing an identification document or authentication feature which was stolen or produced without lawful authority.
Similarly, authorities believe that there could be more victims of Campos-Hurtado’s abuse, and are asking for tips.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Photo “James C. Thompson” by Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
