United States v. Thompson, No. 16-3741 (7th Cir. 2017)
Annotate this CaseThompson found a 15-year-old runaway and promised her modeling work. She got into his truck. He and his wife stole a camper. The three embarked on a six-week trip, during which he sold the girl’s sexual services to at least 15 men across three states and had sex with the girl several times. The Thompsons took sexually suggestive pictures of the girl and posted them on Backpage.com, hiding her face to prevent rescue attempts. He told the girl to have customers touch her vagina before she agreed to have sex with them, to ensure that they were not police. He repeatedly threatened her. Thompson eventually sold the girl to a truck driver for $2000. Another truck driver eventually returned her to Illinois; she contacted her family. Thompson pled guilty to sex trafficking of a child by force, fraud, or coercion and conspiracy to do the same, 18 U.S.C. 1591(a)(1)–(2), (b)(1)–(2); 1594(c), without a plea deal. Thompson admitted that he read the presentence report with his attorney and that everything was accurate. The court calculated Thompson’s guidelines range of 360 months to life imprisonment; analyzed the section 3553 factors; and imposed a life sentence. The Seventh Circuit affirmed. Thompson made a knowing and voluntary guilty plea. The court conducted a thorough and proper plea colloquy. Thompson had pled guilty to crimes nine times before. “Thompson has earned his life sentence.”
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