Former children’s museum director pleads guilty to child pornography charges
A former director of the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester pleaded guilty to child pornography charges in federal court on Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Robert Eckert, 56, of West Hartford pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography charges while appearing before U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill in Bridgeport.
Eckert was arrested on April 8, 2021 after reportedly using multiple online platforms like Kik and MeWe to “solicit, receive and distribute images” of child sexual abuse and communicate with others about distributing it, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He allegedly accessed these platforms on his phone, at his home in West Hartford and at the children’s museum where he was executive director.
Eckert possessed over 1,800 images and over 70 videos of child sex abuse, including the abuse of young children, between November 2019 and May 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 28 and faces a prison sentence of between a minimum of five years to a maximum of 20 years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He is currently released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
