Ex-NASA official pleads guilty in contracts case

By HOLBROOK MOHR Associated Press Writer

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A former high-ranking NASA official has pleaded guilty in Mississippi to designing contracts that netted him more than $270,000 in illegal profits.

Liam P. Sarsfield is a former chief deputy engineer in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors say he controlled a $1.5 million fund and designed contracts that wouldn't have to be put out for bid.

Authorities say some of the money ended up in the hands of another top NASA official, Courtney A. Stadd, who faces felony charges in south Mississippi, home to NASA's Stennis Space Center.

Sarsfield's attorney declined to comment. Messages were left with an attorney for Stadd, who was NASA's chief of staff and White House liaison from 2001 to 2003. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sarsfield will be sentenced June 24. He pleaded guilty to one charge of acts affecting a personal financial interest.