Guilty plea in illegal passport viewing

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- A former U.S. State Department employee pleaded guilty Monday to illegally accessing confidential passport files, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Lawrence Yountz, 48, of Arlington, Va., pleaded guilty in U.S. magistrate court to one count of unauthorized computer access, the department said in a news release.

Yountz, a contract employee with the State Department, worked as an intelligence analyst with access to State Department computer databases, including one with photographs and personal information of passport applicants, the Justice Department said.

In pleading guilty, Yontz admitted between February 2005 and March 2008, he logged onto the database to view the passport applications of about 200 celebrities, including athletes, actors, politicians -- including candidates seeking party nominations -- musicians and members of the media.

Yontz also admitted he had no official government reason to access and view the passport applications and was viewing the documents because he was curious.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 19. Yontz could be sentenced to a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine and a $25 special assessment.