ORLANDO, Fla. — A NASA contractor is accused of having child pornography on his work computer and could face up to 20 years in federal prison if he is found guilty, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • Anthony Joseph Culotta is facing child porn charges
  • More than 1,000 images were found on his work computer

On Friday, the Justice Department issued a news release, stating it is filing a criminal complaint against 59-year-old Anthony Joseph Culotta, charging the Brevard County man with possession of child pornography.

Culotta, who has been a NASA contractor since 2004 and has worked with the Kennedy Space Center Launch Services Program, used his NASA-issued laptop to view and have "sexually explicit images of children" between May 31 and Aug. 7, 2018, stated the Justice Department.

The department did not state why, but on Aug. 7, NASA Office of Inspector General special agents interviewed Culotta, where he allegedly admitted to searching and viewing "images that piqued his curiosity," stated the Justice Department.

"A search of the computer revealed over 1,000 images of child pornography, including images of known victims previously identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children," according to the Department of Justice.

The case was also investigated by the Office of Investigations at Kennedy Space Center and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.  

Culotta, a Merritt Island resident, has been released on conditions, such as wearing a GPS monitor and having a curfew, William Daniels, public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office, told Spectrum News.