ST. PAUL — A former Duluth youth ski coach has been sentenced to 6 ½ years in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material and altering images to appear as though he was sexually assaulting the children he coached.

John David Degelau, 28, of Duluth, received the sentence Thursday from U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell, who also ordered 10 years of supervised release following his incarceration.

Degelau, who coached freestyle for Team Duluth, a private youth organization at Spirit Mountain, pleaded guilty in February to two federal charges of possession of child pornography.

“Mr. Degelau cultivated a CSAM (child sexual abuse material) collection that included images showing the graphic sexual exploitation and penetration of prepubescent children,” Assistant U.S. Attorney

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