John David Degelau, age 28(NNN)
DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – A former youth ski coach from Duluth was sentenced Thursday in federal court for possession of child pornography.
John David Degelau, 28, was sentenced to 78 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution to victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.
Degelau created child pornography by digitally imposing the faces of children he coached onto the bodies of child pornography victims using Adobe Photoshop, court documents state. Investigators found more than 18,000 files of child pornography on his devices.
Authorities also discovered images of children swimming at a beach, apparently taken without their knowledge from a concealed position behind bushes or trees.
The former youth ski coach was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jerry W. Blackwell, who also ordered him to pay a special assessment of more than $10,000 to support programs for victims of child exploitation.
“Degelau used his access to children for the most sinister purpose: his own sexual gratification,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “Children in our community should be safe in every location, including at the beach and on the ski hill, but especially in the company of a trusted adult.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Duluth Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Green.
SEE RELATED: Duluth man indicted for possessing child pornoraphy
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