SAN FRANCISCO– LAWFUEL – The US Law Newswire – United States Attorney Scott N. Schools announced that a federal grand jury in San Jose today indicted two former employees of the National Aerospace and Space Administration with possessing images of child pornography on their government computers, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B). The two former employees, who were charged in separate indictments, are Christopher Burt Wiltsee, 56, of Morgan Hill, California, and Mark Charles Zelinsky, 56, of San Bruno, California.
According to the indictment, Wiltsee was employed in at the Ames Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA-ARC) when, in June 2005, he knowingly possessed images of child pornography on a government computer.
According to the indictment, Zelinsky was employed at the NASA-ARC when, in August 2005, he too had images of child pornography on his government computer.
The maximum statutory penalty for possession of child pornography under Section 2252(a)(4)(B) is ten years imprisonment and a fine of $ 250,000. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
An indictment contains only allegations and, as with all defendants, Wiltsee and Zelinsky must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Joseph Fazioli is the Assistant United States Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Legal Assistant Susan Kreider. This prosecution is a result of an investigation by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Office of the Inspector General.
Further Information:
A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.
Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/
Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Natalya Labauve at (415) 436-7055 or by e-mail at Natalya.Labauve@usdoj.gov.
