A former NASA engineer has pleaded guilty to charges that he deliberately designed NASA contracts to allow him to illegally make profits of $270,000, according to media reports.

Liam Sarsfield, who was a former chief deputy engineer for NASA in Washington DC, apparently admits skewing the contracts that he was responsible for. According to the AP, Sarsfield “controlled a $1.5 million fund and designed contracts that wouldn’t have to be put out for bid. He steered the contracts where he wanted them to go, including to Mississippi State University and a company in Ohio, prosecutors said Monday.”

Sarsfield’s misdemeanour might be linked to another ex-NASA heavyweight in trouble, says the wire service.

Late last year NASA’s former Chief of Staff Courtney Stadd was convicted and sentenced to three years probation and six months of home confinement, and fined $2,500 for, according to Space News, “lying to US government ethics officials and inappropriately steering agency funds to a consulting client.” Stadd is now also facing nine charges for steering contracts to his consulting firm’s clients, including Mississippi State University.

AP says some of the money from Sarsfield contracts ended up with Stadd. Sarsfield pleaded guilty in November but the case was sealed by a US judge. He will be sentenced in June.