William A. Celey, 27, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unauthorized computer access.

Since mid-December, three other State Department employees have been sentenced to probation and community service or fines for illegally snooping on passport application files.

Celey worked as a contract employee for the State Department as a file assistant, from August 2003 to July 2004, the DOJ said. Celey had access to State Department computer databases, including the Passport Information Electronic Records System (PIERS), which contains all imaged passport applications dating back to 1994.

The imaged passport applications on PIERS contain the applicant's full name, date and place of birth, current address, telephone numbers, parent information, spouse's name and emergency contact information. These confidential files are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, and access by State Department employees is limited to official government duties.

Celey acknowledged in his plea that between June 22 and July 15, 2004, he logged onto the PIERS database and viewed the passport applications of more than 75 celebrities, actors, models, musicians, athletes, record producers and a politician. Celey had no official government reason to access and view these passport applications, but his sole purpose in viewing them was "idle curiosity," the DOJ said.