Frank Lombard, Duke Univ. Official, Charged In Child Sex Case

(AP) WASHINGTON - A Duke University official has been arrested and charged with offering his adopted 5-year-old son for sex.

Frank Lombard, the school's associate director of the Center for Health Policy, was arrested after an Internet sting, according to the FBI's Washington field office and the city's police department.

According to an affidavit by District of Columbia Police Det. Timothy Palchak, an unnamed informant facing charges in his own child sex case led authorities to Lombard.

Authorities said that Lombard tried to persuade a person -- who he did not know was a police officer -- to travel to North Carolina to have sex with Lombard's child.

The detective's affidavit charges Lombard identified himself online as "perv dad for fun," and says that in an online chat with the detective, Lombard said he had sexually molested his son, whom he adopted as an infant.

The court papers say Lombard also invited the undercover detective to North Carolina to have sex with the young boy, and even suggested which hotel he should use.

Lombard was charged in federal court in Washington with attempting to induce someone to cross state lines to engage in sex with a child. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Lombard's lawyer did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs at Duke, said Lombard has been employed with Duke University since 1999. He is now on unpaid administrative leave.

"Duke is cooperating with the investigation," Schoenfeld said. He said the university was notified of the incident after Lombard was arrested.

Authorities executed a search warrant Wednesday evening at Lombard's home, according to court documents. The papers show investigators seized two webcams, five computers and a sex toy, among other items.

Comments

[ebanks84]

As I leave, I just want it known that I truly feel for this child and hope he gets the help he needs to have a normal life in the future. Maybe because of his age, he won't remember what was done to him if he gets adopted by "real" people who can give him much love from this point on.

[kathy001]

He'll remember. And even if explicit memories never surface, feelings of betrayal, shame and distrust will plague him for the rest of his life.

[RicanNewYorker]

As a survivor of sexual abuse, I can tell you he will remember. I still remember being sexually abused at 2 years old even though I did not know what the act meant.

[iamvalid]

Palin / Lombard 2012

[goldbry]

THAT is your reaction to a story about a child being raped? No sympathy, no outrage? Just a plug for an election that's three/four years away?

[nordstrom]

It was a failed attempt at snark. Did you notice the "running mate" was Lombard? The "joke" doesn't make sense to me, but whatever.

[x2zero]

pathetic

[ebanks84]

It seems to be "twisted" day on HP today insofar as this article is concerned. I made a legitimate comment but it was never posted. Yet all the twisted comments are alive and well. Time to go!

[TaxDayMan]

I wonder if 88 Duke professors wil sign a document condeming Lombard as a r@pist and a r@cist as they did the Duke Lacrosse Boys?

[Thwap]

I thought the issue was that those Duke professors were wrong to have preemptively judged the situation before all the facts were in and the men had their day in court. I thought the premise of the critics was that it was wrong to do so. So what are you doing now?

What are you trying to say? That people should wait until this man has his day in court? That evidence is being manufactured? The accusers are lying?

Additionally, have you any evidence or heard reports that Lombard was using racial slurs?

I'm going to try a little experiment here. Nifong.

[TaxDayMan]

Did You think the Duke professors were wrong at the time they did it?

[TSRVT]

You're not terribly bright, are you?

[jimbeaux1961]

I'm so glad I found you Tax Day; Butch called and said you should see a doctor right away. Also, i found those earrings you lost at the bar. Kisses.

[novabird]

I've been watching the news closely this week. I firmly believe that the reason innocent children are sxually abused is because we allow it to happen. Pedophiles live and walk among us - they are our fathers, our step fathers, our neighbors, or teachers, our lawyers, our relatives, and our entertainers.

When we know what is happening, and stay quiet or in denial, we are just as guilty of this crime as the perpetrators. I knew a woman whose father sexually abused her. I was at a party and I saw him walk up to her and grab her crotch. He did this astounding act right in front of a room full of people. Despite this, she did nothing. There was no consequences for the abuser - she continued to love him, after all, he was her father.

We have wiped out many heinous practices from society. We will only stop pedophilia when the enablers around the pedophiles show moral courage and demand it to stop.

[Virginia Plain]

Excellent post.

Very sad, but true.

[ebanks84]

Absolutely!

[roblabrousse]

Why don't we institute education classes in the schools on parenting? Psychology of raising children? Or even have licenses to be parents like you have to get to be a able to drive a car? Perhaps there's a way through testing we could see potential for this kind of abuse and deal with it sooner or provide intervention?

What you described you could have taken some action by calling your local family and child services. Or maybe an anonymous note or email to people closer to the father and daughter. You could have sent messages various ways. Sexual abuse is insidious at best. Addressing abuse will be an ongoing endeavor. But don't put the blame on everyone. Many people aren't prone to even think in those terms. A roomful of people aren't always focused on one thing at the same time. Maybe some of the observers were also abused. There aren't any clear guides as to how to deal with it or to whom it should be reported. So a blanket statement like yours serves no purpose. Give constructive ideas or suggestions.

[kathy001]

Why so defensive about an opinion? Novabird's opinion was quite valid and speaks of a very real problem in our society, that being that people do not get involved when they should.

[goldbry]

Why is it the victim's fault? I don't know if this was your intention, but by saying "she did nothing" you suggest that it was up to the woman to stop her abusive father's behavior.

[PWM]

Read it again. You missed the point.

[aawindoze]

Wow, pretty scary. Real Father of the YEar we are talking about!

RT
www.complete-privacy.tk

[Meggie]

Boy! Duke has been in the press for all the wrong reasons the past few years!
WTFis wrong with people and their twistedsex "needs"? I just don't get it.

[quiviran]

Conservatives in action.

[ThinkCreeps]

You're right. Rather more dangerous persons per square foot than you'd expect. I assume the university will fight as hard for this guy as they did for the chaps with the nets on their sticks.

[Haditup2here]

I wonder if people will still be laughing at that stunt on Bruno if they were to hear about this story.

[TimeToPunt]

What stunt is that?

[Meggie]

Probably the bit on TV all the time where he gets "his own" adopted child from Africa - same as Madonna and Angelina.
Which has nothing to do with this.

[Highwind]

But that didn't actually happen. He didn't REALLY adopt a kid from Africa. It was part of his joke.

[Medius]

How do we eradicate pedophilia? It is incurable and studies have shown most victims turn pederasts themselves. Crimes against children, the most innocent and helpless, deserve a punishment worthy of its horror. Time for drastic measures. I am just curious if prisons do really have their own form of justice for animals like this man.

[antaeus]

" . . . most victims turn pederasts themselves."

Any data showing differences between biological children and adopted children who are victims?

I'll bet there's a difference.

[Medius]

I think there is but I cannot recall the source. I have read several articles on this issue over the years but have not documented the sources. I will find the time but I am on vacation. sorry.

BTW...Love that picture of 'lil Edy and I am a great fan of the original documentary.

[friedfish2718]

Dr. William C. Holmes, M.D. and Dr. Gail B. Slap, M.D.
(JAMA, Vol. 280 No. 21, December 2, 1998):

"Adolescent boys, particularly those victimized by males, were up to 7 times more likely to identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual than peers who had not been abused (P

[Coltrane1234]

The abused become the abusers.

[JBS]

You've got cause & effect reversed.

Studies have shown that most pedophiles were themselves victims of pedophilia as children, as are, not surprisingly, a high percentage of violent felons of all types.

However, the majority of victims DO NOT grow up to become pedophiles themselves. Particularly those victims who get adequate mental health support in dealing with what happened.

Prisons have their own code and Mr. Lombard will almost certainly face retribution once he gets there. It's not necessarily justice.

[M1]

Life sentence without parole is barely adequate.

[Katwd]

Pedophiles are not gay or straight, they are pedophiles. Their "sexual preference" is for children. I am deeply disturbed that the maximum penalty is only 20 years. Crimes against children should have a special status where the penalties are much tougher and pedophiles in particular should be locked away where they cannot victimize any more children- and not in a "treatment facility". There is no known effective treatment for pedophiles. Statistics show that these "people" re-offend almost as soon as they are released. It is our job as a society to protect our children and we are not doing a good job so far...

[lostintheBronx]

I believe the 20 year sentence is only for offering the child up to others for abuse. (I don't really mean "only"), The other charges of actually having abused the child himself should land him much more jail time. And I agree with a previous poster who said that pedophiles should be encarcerated together and studied extensively so that we can figure out if there is a biological component to this sickness.

[NickB9980]

Is it just me or do others think the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison is too lenient? One would think that these types of crimes should carry a minimum sentence of life in prison.

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

Any word on the mother?

[nellpost]

...or the adoption officials who let/made this happen?

[Highwind]

No mother. I read he had a partner living with him.

[salkoc]

here is a classic case where the death penalty seems not harsh enough .

[mayan2012]

yesssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rain39]

I think he ought to be drawn and quartered, then burned in the public square.....after he is convicted, of course. If that is too harsh, he should be locked up for life. I work with foster kids who are adopted by people who wish to be parents for the first or third time. I am also the Mother of two now adult adopted kids . There were huge background checks on us. With our son, the secret service even got involved because of his biological background.

With our foster kids, at my volunteer agency, the adoptive parents are closely checked as well. This guy didn't just start being a pedifile. They must have done a lousy background check on him. Oh and we have lots of gay parents who are wonderful! Gay people want adult loves just like the rest of us do so let's not go down the road of thinking this rotten guy did this because he was gay.

[GDUS]

America at its best!!!

[ILB]

Back again with a new screen name, GDUS. Gee, I wonder what that stands for?