A former University of Michigan music professor has been sentenced to serve five years in prison after admitting that he transported a girl across state lines for sex 20 years ago.
Stephen Shipps, 69, pleaded guilty in November. He was accused of taking the girl across state lines several times between February and July 2002 with the intention of having sex with her, reports WWJ-TV.
Shipps also has been ordered to pay $120,000 in restitution to his victim.
The girl was born in 1985, according to court documents.
Shipps’ was indicted in October 2020, two years after the university placed him on paid leave. Several students had accused him of sexual misconduct while he taught them in the 1970s and 1980s at schools in Nebraska and North Carolina.
Shipps taught violin at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance from 1989 until his retirement in 2019. He also directed a preparatory program that offered musical instruction to children.
