William Hoke, 38, of Seattle, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court in Seattle, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Hoke was arrested in April as part of an ongoing investigation into individuals using password protected Web sites to post and trade child pornography. Hoke was a 13-year employee of the Seattle Children's Theatre.

Hoke was accused of viewing and making hundreds of comments in posts to a password-protected bulletin board where users from more than 30 countries traded child pornography.

Hoke came to the attention of federal investigators from the U.S. Postal Service, who were tracking the nearly 550 people who had subscriptions to the bulletin board, according to court documents. Agents tracked an e-mail address to computers both at Hoke's home and work, the complaint says.

The charges allege he viewed and downloaded photos, including sexually suggestive photos of young girls, and posted hundreds of comments about other photographs.

Hoke faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced in December.