Former Jacksonville Jaguars employee sentenced to 220 years in prison for child molestation

If one thing is certain, it’s that the former Jaguars employee is guilty of some unspeakable acts, and even worse is that they involve minors. That the franchise itself was unaware of his past raises questions, however, it’s now clear that justice won’t be denied

Former Jaguars employee sentenced to 220 years in prison

According to reports on Tuesday, former Jacksonville Jaguars employee, Samuel Arthur Thompson, 53, was sentenced to 220 years in federal prison on charges of producing, receiving and possessing child sex abuse material (CSAM), producing CSAM while required to register as a sex offender, violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, sending unauthorized damaging commands to a protected computer, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

Thompson, it must be said, was dismissed by the franchise in 2018, however, what followed was both sinister and appalling, such that it led to his incarceration for more than two centuries. To be clear, Thompson was found guilty by a jury on November 17th, 2023, and will now also be required to forfeit his computers and firearm and will face a lifetime of supervised release. The question, of course, is where did this all begin and how did it end with more than double a human lifetime behind bars?

How was Samuel Arthur Thompson caught?

As strange as it sounds, it started with a Jumbotron back in 2013 that was reportedly hacked. At the time, Thompson was hired as a contract to offer consultancy on the design and installation of EverBank Stadium’s new big screen, and then, in turn, operate it on gamedays once installation was complete. Unfortunately, Thompson failed to inform the franchise that he had previously been convicted of sodomizing of a 14-year-old male child in Alabama in 1998 meaning he would - by law - have to register as a sex offender, as well as not own any firearms.

It is understood, that Thompson did not inform the Jaguars of his status which eventually led to the organization declining to renew his contract in January 2018 when it learned of his conviction. Facing his imminent departure, Thompson then reportedly installed remote access software on a spare server in the Jaguars’ server room, which he then used to sabotage the Jumbotron during three of the Jaguars’ games in 2018. Eventually, the Jaguars became aware of the fact that someone had access to their server, and with that, set up a “honeypot” by isolating the server on its own network. Once the individual doing so - Thompson - accessed the server again, the IP was registered and given to the FBI who then in turn tracked it to Thompson’s address.

What else do we know about Samuel Arthur Thompson’s case?

Though it’s clear that Thompson has been involved in some very sinister things, the disturbing truth is that it’s simply the tip of the iceberg. According to reports, a federal search warrant that resulted in a search of a residence in July of 2019 uncovered not only devices used to remotely access the server but thousands of images and hundreds of videos of CSAM and other assorted material that was absolutely disgusting, including a series of accompanying photos and a video - which Thompson produced - in which he can be heard talking to the child in his living room. It was at that time that a gun - found on Thompson’s nightstand - was also seized.

If that wasn’t enough, there were also several interviews that followed the raid. Specifically, with three male children who reportedly revealed that Thompson had molested two of them, exposed himself to them, exposed them to CSAM, and encouraged them to play a “game” that involved removing their clothing. Indeed, the game in question is understood to be the focal point of the video that Thompson produced. The children in question were seven, eight, and 10 years old at the time.

Samuel Arthur Thompson was awful until the end

Following the raid, interviews, and investigation, it’s understood that Thompson fled to the Philippines in the summer of 2019. Fortunately, his passport was later revoked and he was deported in January of 2020. Upon arrival, he was detained by the FBI and found guilty of sexually exploiting two other children. Below you can see an excerpt from the Department of Justice’s statement on Thompson’s situation:

“This case exemplifies the unrelenting tenacity of investigators who pursue justice for innocent victims of crime,” said FBI Jacksonville’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Coult Markovsky. “Samuel Thompson repeatedly abused and exploited innocent children, inflicting immeasurable hurt on his victims. He also abused and exploited his employer by installing malicious software to manipulate their systems, which could have caused significantly more damage if not detected. Let this sentence serve as a pledge to all victims of crime that the FBI and our partners will doggedly pursue those who prey on them.”

Yet, perhaps the most disturbing part of this whole situation is the fact that Thompson is the second former Jaguars employee to be sentenced to federal prison this month. Amit Patel, the Jaguars’ former financial planning and analysis manager, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years on March 12th for a $22 million embezzlement scheme which he perpetrated in an effort to pay his gambling debts. While it’s clear there is a massive difference in the gravity of the offenses committed by both men, it does beg a question.