An Albert Lea man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for possessing child pornography and downloading a video containing similar material from a computer network in Germany, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
U.S. authorities became aware of 33-year-old Jesse Jeff Stewart after the German federal police investigated a computer network featuring child pornography and found that multiple Internet addresses in the United States had downloaded pornographic images from it. U.S. authorities found Stewart in possession of about 5,700 images and 370 videos. An Albert Lea Tribune report says investigators also found 16 soiled pairs of children's underwear and bras, which Stewart said he stole from people's laundry. Stewart's attorney said he has accepted responsibility for his actions and described the crime as "compulsion and addiction," the newspaper reports.
