PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A Florida man among the first group of scientists to explore the Titanic faces up to 20 years in prison for child pornography, prosecutors said.
William Kenneth Stewart, who holds a doctorate in oceanographic engineering, will be sentenced in federal court Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of receiving child pornography, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Stewart, 62, was downloading pornographic videos of children on Sept. 8, 2011 when authorities arrived at his West Palm Beach apartment with a search warrant.
They seized computer hard drives that were later found to contain 22,000 images of child porn.
Stewart built a stellar 40-year career, including 16 years with the famed Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution of Massachusetts.
He participated in the 1986 expedition to explore the wreck of the Titanic, a spokeswoman for Woods Hole said.
Since 1999, Stewart has been a chief scientist and chief consulting engineer for the South Florida Water Management District in West Palm Beach.
