Veteran sentenced to 21 months in prison for lying about sex dysfunction

A 60-year-old Arizona man was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison last week for lying to a federal court jury about his sex life — or lack of one.

As one of eight defendants charged in a federal human trafficking case, John Dompierre took the witness stand in November 2021 to testify that he had erectile dysfunction and therefore wasn’t guilty of transporting two females from New Mexico to Arizona to have commercial sex with them.

After five days of trial, the jury in U.S. District Court in Santa Fe couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict last November, and a mistrial was declared.

Afterward, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico obtained his “comprehensive” medical records, which “refuted Dompierre’s claims of sexual impossibility, confirming he was sexually active during the time frame alleged at his trial,” according to a news release from the office.

He pleaded guilty to one count of perjury in March 2022, in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the two trafficking-related charges.

His attorney couldn’t be reached Tuesday.

In his plea agreement, Dompierre admitted that though he took an oath to tell the truth before testifying, he falsely said that he suffered from a medical condition, “the effect of which rendered me incapable of engaging in sexual activity, and therefore also incapable of forming the necessary intent to be found guilty of these crimes.”

He also stated that he hadn’t taken medication for his medical condition for years before the offense.

“My defense team then used my sworn testimony to argue that because of the effects of my medical condition, I could not have committed the crimes charges,” he said.

He said it was true that he suffered from the medical condition, but his sworn testimony that the condition prevented him from engaging in sexual activity was false, and he knew it was false. He also lied about taking medication to treat his condition, his plea agreement stated.

“My false statements were material to the criminal trial because they formed the substantial basis for my defense: that I could not have formed the necessary intent due to the claimed effects of my medical condition, which I falsely claimed was unmedicated during the charged time period,” according to the court document.

The maximum penalty for the perjury charge was not more than five years, and no more than a $250,000 fine and up to three years probation.

In addition to the 21-month prison sentence and three years of probation, Dompierre was fined $2,400. A defense exhibit filed in the case earlier this month showed various medals he received while serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Dompierre was the last of eight defendants to be convicted in the case, which alleged a near-year-long conspiracy in which he committed sex trafficking of minors, and transporting minors to engage in criminal sexual activity.