Samuel Arthur Thompson, a 53-year-old resident of St. Augustine, has been handed an unprecedented 220-year federal prison sentence for a litany of abhorrent crimes.

These offenses include the production of child sexual abuse material and the tampering of the jumbotron system at the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium. Thompson's reprehensible actions were brought to light following his termination from employment after the team uncovered his status as a registered sex offender.

The sentencing, which occurred in Jacksonville, saw Thompson found guilty in November on multiple charges outlined in court records. These charges encompass a wide array of offenses, ranging from the production, receipt, and possession of sexual images of minors, to breaches of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, unauthorized access to protected computer systems, and illegal possession of firearms as a previously convicted felon. Thompson's arrest took place in early 2020 upon his deportation from the Philippines back to the United States, following an FBI raid on his residence six months prior, during which several computers were confiscated.

Thompson's criminal history includes a disturbing 1998 conviction for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy in Alabama. This prior conviction mandated his registration as a sex offender, obligating him to report any international travel, which he egregiously failed to do.

Initially engaged by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a contractor in 2013 for consultation on their video board network, Thompson's role later expanded to operating the jumbotron during game days. However, his employment was terminated in 2018 upon the team's discovery of his criminal past.

Prosecutors revealed that prior to the termination of his contract, Thompson installed remote access software on a spare server within the Jaguars' infrastructure. This enabled him to remotely manipulate the jumbotron during three games in the 2018 season, causing repeated disruptions. Following the discovery of this breach, the FBI traced the intrusion back to Thompson's residence.

A subsequent search warrant executed in July 2019 led to the seizure of Thompson's electronic devices, which were found to contain thousands of images and hundreds of videos depicting child sexual abuse. Some of these materials were produced mere weeks before the raid, featuring children under Thompson's care.

The egregious nature of Thompson's crimes prompted the Jacksonville Jaguars to issue a statement expressing gratitude to federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office following his conviction in November. The severity of Thompson's sentence underscores the unwavering commitment to justice and the protection of society from such dangerous individual