A Sept. 18 minute entry from a U.S. District Court proceeding indicates that former University employee Frank Lombard is seeking to negotiate a plea agreement on child sex abuse charges.
According to the minute entry from a proceeding held before Magistrate Judge John Facciola in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, both prosecution and defense discussed a plea agreement and Lombard’s bond status at the hearing.
Christopher Shella, Lombard’s attorney, declined to comment Tuesday. Federal prosecutor Keith Becker could not immediately be reached for comment.
Lombard, the former associate director for the Health Inequalities Program at the Center for Heath Policy, was arrested June 24 in Durham and charged with soliciting an undercover FBI agent to cross state lines and have sex with his 5-year-old adopted son.
A confidential informant told federal investigators that an Internet user—later identified as Lombard—had engaged in acts of child molestation via an online video chat program, according to the affidavit.
Lombard worked at Duke for 10 years before he was dismissed by the University in June. The University originally placed Lombard on unpaid administrative leave after his arrest.
Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, declined to comment on the decision to fire Lombard and the status of the case.
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