Former university official pleads guilty to sex charge

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, May, 2008 | by Joelle Farrell Inquirer Staff Writer

A former Lehigh University official pleaded guilty yesterday to criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, a first-degree felony charge that stemmed from an Internet sting last summer. Steven J. Devlin, 50, who was a vice provost at the university, was arrested in July for allegedly soliciting sex from what he believed to be a mother and two daughters under age 10.

Devlin was, in fact, chatting online with a Delaware County detective. Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors seek a three- to six-year prison sentence, said Devlin's attorney, Arthur T. Donato Jr. The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11. Lehigh University put Devlin on administrative leave after his arrest....