Ski Coach Sentenced to Prison for Creating, Possessing Child Porn
A 28-year-old former ski coach has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for creating child pornography using images of children he coached.
According to court documents, John David Degelau was caught with over 18,000 child pornography files.
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Investigators discovered that Degelau had been working with children as a ski coach and used Adobe Photoshop to digitally alter photos of them. Authorities say he morphed the children’s faces onto explicit images of child sexual abuse, making it appear as if the children were involved in sexual acts with him.
Agents also found photos on Degelau’s devices showing children at a beach, apparently taken without their knowledge from behind bushes and trees.
Degelau was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis to 78 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay more than $10,000 to victim-support programs and restitution to victims of the crimes.
“Degelau will spend the next several years behind bars, a sentence that demonstrates the serious consequences for adults who abuse their position of trust,” FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. said in a statement. “Degelau used his access to children for the most sinister purpose: his own sexual gratification. 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.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson also addressed the case: “A ski coach who used photos of children he coached to create child pornography is now headed to federal prison. Today alone, three child predators were sentenced in federal court for absolutely abhorrent conduct. This epidemic of abuse we are seeing in Minnesota is vile, it is devastating, and it must end.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and Duluth Police Department.
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