Dean in a Moral Maze: Villanova Law School Dean Resigns After Being Implicated in Prostitution Ring

Mark Sargent Villanova Law Dean Mark A SargentVillanova Law Dean Mark Sargent has resigned after news reports that he was a customer of a prostitution ring. Sargent previously wrote a law review article entitled “Lawyers in a Moral Maze.”

Sargent’s name reportedly surfaced after a raid on the prostitution ring. One of those arrested, Stephen A. Clark, pleaded guilty and objected that what he viewed as special treatment for Sargent, calling him a “celebrity perp.” A report states that Sargent paid $170 for 35 minutes of sexual contact.

Villanova is a Catholic university — making these types of claims more difficult for a Dean. However, many people (particularly libertarians) have questioned the continued prosecution of adults for consensual sex for hire. Other nations have legalized prostitution and regulated it. Indeed, it is lawful in some parts of Nevada. Sargent is clearly a talented academic and a dean. He has served as dean since 1997 and was previously a professor and associate dean at the University of Maryland School of Law where he was greatly respected.

This is a sad development for him and the school. Regardless of the public policy and constitutional claims for legalizing prostitution, it remains a crime and he should have known better if he participated in such a crime. Many hope that this will not be the end of his academic career. He has already borne a heavy price and no criminal charges are expected to be brought against him.

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18 thoughts on “Dean in a Moral Maze: Villanova Law School Dean Resigns After Being Implicated in Prostitution Ring”

  1. “areyakiddin me,” indeed. I, too, am a recent graduate of Villanova Law. From your description, I seriously doubt that you have ever set foot on that campus. You say that the staff is made up of “satan-worshipping idiot liberals” who push “abortion, homosexuality, criminality, and socialism.” Troll much?

    Would a socialist faculty invite Justice Scalia to speak, with no rebuttal? (“Abortion bad, capital punishment OK” said he.) Is this all part of the conspiracy?

    I think when teachers present both sides of an issue, an extremist student is often offended at the prospect of seeing things from another perspective. Better to close the mind immediately, and start calling names. But I seriously doubt that you were a student there, or anywhere.

    Now if you really were a lawyer, you would have some working knowledge of logic. Yet you expect us to accept these two claims: (1) the grading system was completely unfair, and (2) you received high honors. Let’s use those two facts together to draw a logical conclusion, shall we? 🙂

  2. Ain’t got nuthin’ to do with being a “catholic” law school. I graduated the law school in 2004. The professors were largely a bunch of satan-worshipping idiot liberals (same as most law schools and most professors) and Sargent was the captain of this ship of fools – his faculty hand-picked based on their desire to shove their lunatic idiot liberal garbage down the students’ throats rather than on their knowledge or teaching ability. Most teachers supported abortion, homosexuality, criminality, and socialism. And if a student dared to speak up against it their grades were lowered as the “blind” test grading could then be raised or lowered for any reason or for no reason at all, and many courses had purely subjective grading without any “blind” tests. Sargent wanted it that way. (I received high honors despite.)

    Good riddance you bearded cocksucker. BTW did they say anywhere that the prostitute was a female? Ethics my ass !

  3. Molly,

    From one who has been there….prostitution is NOT a victimless crime!!

    ***********************

    I take it that you are the wife of the former Dean? I guess sometimes we all look the other way when this happens. For you, I am sorry.

  4. From one who has been there….prostitution is NOT a victimless crime!! None of you have had one thought for his wife and his son, a Villanova senior. This “pillar” of the legal education society breaks the law. I don’t care if you agree with the law or not! Then, he leaves in his “satisfied” wake, a family who is damaged. Nice work prof! HYPOCRITE!!!

  5. Heck and people are afraid to pay taxes. Most people would welcome the chance to pay taxes, if only they had a job to pay taxes for.

  6. Mercie:

    I would say it works both ways, but I doubt too many women are going to pay, they can get it for free most of the time. Men are such pigs.

  7. Indentured servant: What’s good for the goose… Why can’t we consider male prostitution too?

  8. I am with you prof: who cares if it’s consensual?! Until society starts sticking up for those who break the stupid laws prohibiting prostitution, we only have ourselves to blame though. I commend you for speaking out, Prof. Turley!

  9. Dean Mark Sargent was merely administering oral exams–sort of a lie back and deliver approach to the Socratic method. Curses to all of you who thought otherwise.

  10. this whole prostitution thing is stupid, give the girls a card and tax them. that will take care of it. Then you can get rid of pimps too. the government is screwing us already so why not do it honestly.

    And anyway why shouldnt a woman be allowed to sell herself? It belongs to her and this is a free society, isnt it? The state has no moral or legal right to prevent a transaction between 2 consenting adults for this.

  11. Now is that not why we all went to Law School to begin with? But I would say that the rate are less that mine at 400 an hour. Cheap trick.

  12. Philadelphia Lawyer Rose Maddox (Villanova Law Dean is just one more of many)
    ________________________________

    Way out in Reno Nevada where romance blooms and fades
    A great Philadelphia lawyer was in love with a Hollywood maid

    Tonight back in old Pennsylvania among those beautiful pines
    There’s one less Philadelphia lawyer in old Philadelphia tonight
    ________________________________

    This is one on my all-time favorite songs (just 2 verses posted) that I first heard in the mid-1950s. Woody Guthrie sang it (and the song writing is attributed to him) although I think it is much older, and like Bob Dylan, Woody “borrowed” a lot from other melodies and lyrics. Ms. Maddox et al had much better renditions; overall, Guthrie was a terrible ‘sanger’.

  13. What was this guy thinking? I guess being Dean at Villanova didn’t keep him busy enough. It is better for the students and the school that he is out as Dean and out as a faculty member.

  14. Dear Mark,

    Out of a job?

    Consider running for the Senate from Pennsylvania on the Republican ticket.

    Signed

    David Vitter
    John Ensign
    Larry Craig

    [Parody, satire & fiction, no resemblance to reality is implied or to be inferred, this is a joke, do not circulate on the internet without a notice that it is a joke, do not sue]

  15. For this situation I can’t tell whether an amoral maze or a moral maze fits the bill.

    He needs to move to Las Vegas to increase his odds … plus it is legal there.

  16. I guess they do things differently in Philadelphia. $135 for a half hour seems like a reasonable, cheap, in fact, price to pay for celebrity sex.

  17. “.” A report states that Sargent paid $170 for 35 minutes of sexual contact.”

    I am only asking.Was there a meter running?

  18. It should be made clear that he is out as prof as well as dean: “Gust said that the university had accepted Sargent’s resignation and that he would not be returning to the faculty.” Often deans who are fired or quit stay on to teach.

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