Museum ex-leader pleads guilty in abuse image case

MANCHESTER — The former executive director of the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester pleaded guilty Thursday after allegedly seeking and sharing images of child sexual abuse, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for Connecticut.

Robert Eckert, 56, of West Hartford, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of distribution of child pornography in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, prosecutors said.

Eckert allegedly used multiple internet platforms, , including MeWe and Kik, “to solicit, receive and distribute images of child sexual abuse and to communicate with others about the distribution of child pornography,” prosecutors said.

“He accessed the online platforms on his phone, at his residence, and at the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester where he was employed as its executive director,” prosecutors said. “Between September 2019 and May 2020, Eckert possessed 1,837 image files and 73 videos depicting child sex abuse, including the abuse of prepubescent minors.”

At his sentencing on Nov. 28, Eckert faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison, prosecutors said.

He was arrested in April 2021 and is now free on $100,000 bond, prosecutors said.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Manchester Police Department.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com.