Duluth ski coach sentenced for creating child pornography of the kids he coached
John Degelau
DULUTH, Minn. & MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – John David Degelau, 28, has been sentenced to 6.5 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.
He was found guilty on federal charges of Possession of Child Pornography.
Degelau, a former youth ski coach, created child pornography by imposing the faces of children he coached onto the bodies of child pornography victims.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said, “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.”
According to court documents, Degelau was caught with over 18,000 files of child pornography.
In reviewing Degelau’s devices, law enforcement found that he had created child pornography by using Adobe Photoshop.
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The Department of Justice says, “Degelau used that application by morphing/photoshopping pictures of the children’s faces he coached onto sexually explicit images, to make it appear as though Degelau was performing sex acts on the children. The investigation uncovered that Degelau’s devices also contained images of children swimming at a beach, apparently taken without their knowledge from a concealed position behind bushes or trees.”
Judge Jerry W. Blackwell also ordered Degelau to pay a special assessment of more than $10,000 that will go to programs supporting victims of child pornography offenses.
FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr said, “John Degelau will spend the next several years behind bars, a sentence that demonstrates the serious consequences for adults who abuse their position of trust… Degelau used his access to children for the most sinister purpose: his own sexual gratification.”
Degelau is also charged in Minnesota state court involving this case.
