Boukamp convicted on all charges after traveling to engage in sex with 14-year-old Lubbock girl

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A 22-year-old Michigan man has been found guilty on multiple charges after traveling to engage in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old girl from Lubbock.

Thomas John Boukamp fired six attorneys and chose to represent himself in the trial, which concluded on Thursday.

Earlier this month, he was found competent to stand trial after undergoing a psychiatric exam.

Boukamp was found guilty on 16 charges, including including transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, enticement and attempted enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography, cyber stalking and production and attempted production of child pornography. Ten different pornographic images were submitted into evidence, each one representing an additional charge.

The trial now moves on to the sentencing phase where Boukamp could face up to life in prison.

Court documents show Boukamp was strongly urged to not represent himself, but he said he understood the penalties he faced if found guilty and insisted. He was appointed a public defender as stand-by counsel.

Family members reported the 14-year-old girl missing on Nov. 13, 2020, leaving Terra Vista Middle School in Lubbock. Investigators found her in Michigan on Nov. 23, 2020.

The FBI’s assistance was requested after investigators found evidence on her electronic devices “that indicated she was possibly enticed and taken out of state,” police said in a news release.

Investigators tracked her to Alden, Mich., where the teenager was found with “an adult male subject,” police said. That male was identified as Boukamp. The girl was turned over to Child Protective Services workers in Michigan and was taken to a hospital to be evaluated, police said. She was then reunited with her family.

Boukamp was arrested in Alden, Michigan. He was transferred to the Lubbock County Detention Center in December 2020.

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham released this statement on Thursday evening:

The Michigan man who stalked and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old Lubbock girl has been tried and convicted, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.

After just an hour of deliberation, a jury convicted Thomas John Boukamp, 22, on all 16 counts: one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct, one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, one count of enticement of a minor, two counts of receipt of child pornography, ten counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, and one count of cyber stalking.

“This man stalked and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old, then had the gall to claim in federal court that their so-called ‘relationship’ was consensual. The child, who bravely faced her abuser in court, asserted in no uncertain terms that his advances were unwelcome. By law, 14-year-olds simply cannot consent to sexual contact with adults. We are immensely proud of this child and hope this verdict brings some solace to her and her family,” said U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham.

“This defendant displayed reprehensible behavior, which was countered by the bravery of the victim that so courageously testified against him,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to do everything in our power to seek justice for victims and their families, hold perpetrators accountable and protect others from harm.”

According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Boukamp met the child, identified in court as Jane Doe, on the instant messaging platform Discord when she was just 13 years old.

The pair exchanged a series of messages, in which he threatened to hurt her family if she disclosed their budding “relationship.”

Mr. Boukamp later transported Jane Doe, then 14 years of age, to his home in Michigan, where he sexually assaulted her, forcibly removed her braces with pliers, strangled, and hit her.

The victim’s father testified at trial that when she ran away to Michigan, his terrified daughter brought her baby blanket with her.

The victim herself also testified at trial and described the abuse she suffered at Boukamp’s hands.

Mr. Boukamp now faces up to life without parole in federal prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas and Detroit Field Offices, the Lubbock Police Department, the Michigan State Police, and the Antrim County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Woolam and Jeff Haag prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix presided over trial.