A former state Superior Court judge who served a federal prison sentence for raping a boy in Russia, and bringing back a tape of the act, cannot get his state pension for his years on the bench, a New Jersey appeals court ruled Monday.

Stephen W. Thompson, 72, who presided over cases in Camden County from 1989 until shortly after his arrest in 2003, renewed his effort to receive his pension when he was released from federal prison in 2014.

Since then, his pension, which would have been $51,916 annually, has been before a state pension board, which decided on forfeiting it, and the state’s administrative law courts - where Thompson once served - which upheld the decision

Thompson then appealed to the Superior Court’s Appellate Division, arguing it was wrong for the board to eliminate his pension because his crime occurred just before his retirement, and that time period should be used to calculate how much pension to lose - not the entire benefit.

The appeals decision, which summarized Thompson’s career - from wounded and disabled Vietnam War veteran, to Haddon Township municipal prosecutor and judge, then judge in the state Office of Administrative Law before becoming a judge in the Superior Court in Camden County - said evidence in the investigations against him show Thompson was involved with child pornography, “in the early 1970′s.”

“Thompson’s misconduct was not confined to the last two years of his judicial service,” the appeals decision said.

And, he used his state-issued laptop to download and store pornographic images of children and to arrange his encounter in Russia, in 2002, the decision says.

"Thompson’s misconduct related to and touched upon his office because he used a judiciary-supplied laptop to engage in his criminality. Thompson used the laptop to orchestrate his fateful trip to Russia,” the appeals judges wrote.

They went on: “Thompson’s misconduct tarnished the image and integrity of the judiciary of this State...The vileness, depravity, moral turpitude, and gravity of Thompson’s misconduct is obvious. The sustained nature of his misconduct over several decades renders his entire judicial service dishonorable.”

The decision concludes, “We have little difficulty in upholding the Board’s decision to totally forfeit his judicial retirement benefits.”

Thompson for years was known for his military service that left him disabled. He volunteered for the U.S Army in 1968 after graduating from college and arrived in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader in the summer of 1969. That same month, he lost his right leg, bladder and genitals in a friendly fire burst of 20 automatic gunfire rounds at close range, prior news stories and the decision describe.

He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry and a Purple Heart and underwent years of complicated surgeries and recoveries that nearly killed him. He then went to law school.

Authorities arrested Thompson in 2003, and he went to trial in 2005, arguing he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a brain injury from his combat injuries, and his interest in child pornography and young boys was a desperate quest to reclaim his lost virility.

The jury convicted him in 2005 of exploitation of a child and found him not guilty by reason of insanity for possession of child pornography. A judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison the following year. He was later disbarred as well.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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