West Hartford Resident Gets 5-Plus Years In Federal Child Porn Case

WEST HARTFORD/MANCHESTER, CT — A West Hartford resident who is the former director of a children's museum in Manchester has been sentenced to more than five years in prison in a federal kiddie porn case.

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Robert Eckert, 56, of West Hartford, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 66 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Eckert 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. 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, case records show.

On June 12, 2020, investigators seized Eckert’s cell phone. Analysis of the phone revealed 1,837 image files and 73 videos depicting sex with children, including images of "prepubescent minors," case records show.

Eckert was arrested on April 8, 2021. On Sept. 1, 2022, he pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography.

Eckert, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on Feb. 15.

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