MOHAVE VALLEY, Ariz. — An Arizona man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after he exploited two teenage girls and manipulated them into believing he was a Hollywood producer, authorities said.
Kyle M. Thompson, 47, was convicted by a jury earlier this year of multiple sex crimes after he traveled across the country in 2016 to have sex with a teenage girl.
The U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona said Thompson additionally attempted to have sex with another teenage girl by presenting himself as a powerful player in Hollywood.
"Thompson engaged in extremely emotionally and psychologically manipulative behavior to 'wow' his victims," prosecutors wrote in court documents.
The defendant enticed the girls into thinking he could help them become famous singers and actresses. Court records show Thompson would send the victims photos of movie sets and photoshopped himself into images with celebrities.
But in reality, Thompson had little power in show business and few notable credits to his resume.
"Thompson leveraged his peripheral experience in the movie industry, transforming his work as a background actor into a central fixture in Hollywood," prosecutors wrote.
The defendant went so far as to impersonate famous actors online and send text messages to the victims' families, prosecutors say.
Thompson was a registered sex offender at the time of his offenses in 2016. He was convicted a few years prior of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in Mohave County.
Shortly after Thompson was released from the Arizona Department of Corrections in 2016, he began using his social medial accounts to connect with teenage girls.
Thompson's attorney downplayed his motivations for wanting to travel hundreds of miles outside of Arizona to meet up with teenage girls, arguing the defendant was actually intending to scout movie locations in Georgia.
And yet his counsel acknowledges that Thompson's career in show business was essentially nonexistent at the time.
"Truth be told, although, to his credit, Kyle tried very hard to establish a gainful career in Hollywood, he never attained that much success," Thompson's counsel wrote in court filings.
Prosecutors said a 30-year prison sentence is justified in Thompson's case after considering his pattern of conduct around teenage girls.
The defendant went to great lengths "to hook his victims and mold them to do what he wanted," prosecutors stated.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12 News YouTube playlist here.
