Former Wharton professor emeritus Scott Ward was sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole and was also levied a $17,500 fine on May 11.
Held without bail since his Aug. 27 arrest, Ward pleaded guilty on Feb. 20 to producing child pornography for importation into the United States. His charge had carried a 15-30 year prison sentence, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Virginia, where he faced charges.
Ward was arrested in August at Dulles International Airport in Washington coming off a return flight from Brazil when he was found in possession of child pornography on his laptop. In response to the arrest, Penn asked Ward not to return as a professor for the fall semester.
The former professor's record had been tarnished prior to his arrest in August, as he had been faced with charges of sexual misconduct on two different occasions. While he was not convicted in either case, he was fined and sentenced to five years probation for the second instance in 1999, which involved soliciting sex from an undercover state trooper posing as a minor. In that instance, he entered an Alford plea, in which he acknowledged there was sufficient evidence to convict him without admitting guilt.
Ward's lawyer, Peter Greenspun, refused to comment but called the sentence a "horribly long period of time to serve, particularly for a 64-year-old man."
Ward is still facing charges in Pennsylvania for possession of child pornography allegedly found in his Huntsman Hall office in September. Many legal experts expect Ward to plead guilty once again as the prosecution currently possesses evidence including confiscated DVDs from Ward's office that show the professor allegedly engaging in sexual relations with a minor.
Ward's conviction in addition to the other recent instances of faculty misconduct at Penn - including the arrest of Economics professor Rafael Robb, who is charged with the murder of his wife, and the conviction of former Neurosurgery professor Tracy McIntosh for sexual assault - has stirred up discussion regarding the University's faculty hiring and monitoring policies. While some say certain measures encroach upon faculty privacy, others have voiced concern about upholding the professional integrity of faculty and staff.
While Penn plans on stricter hiring practices in the future, Ward's situation remains grim as he awaits his upcoming Pennsylvania trial, the date of which hasn't been set.
- Senior writer Krista Hutz contributed reporting for this article.
