A judge has accepted a plea deal that allowed a Minneapolis photographer to plead guilty in two rape cases filed against him in exchange for dismissal of other sexual assault cases and a sentence that includes no prison time.

Den-Zell Gilliard, 29, was sentenced Monday in Hennepin County District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Charges in two other cases were dropped.

Judge Carolina Lamas stayed an eight-year sentence and put him on probation for five years. He also was ordered to receive sex offender treatment, register as a predatory offender and participate in a domestic abuse program.

Combined, the four cases alleged that Gilliard had been raping three women from 2016 until September 2019 and that he carried out no fewer than 50 sexual assaults.

"It's important to note that the allegations in the complaints do not accurately portray the actions Mr. Gilliard was ultimately convicted of and sentenced for," defense attorney Erin Carey said Tuesday. "While he admitted to being manipulative in relationships, he denied and continues to deny any allegation of physical abuse."

The County Attorney's Office challenged Carey's contentions, saying in a statement Wednesday, "The defendant's actions were manipulative, coercive and criminal. He admitted to threatening the victims by releasing private, sexual photos of them if they would not have sex with him. That sort of emotional abuse led to unwanted physical, sexual contact with the victims for fear of retaliation by the defendant.

"Despite the defendant denying other allegations found in the complaints, our office and the victims maintain that those complaints are accurate. Ultimately, the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and therefore, is guilty of those crimes."

Prosecutors alleged that Gilliard victimized the women at his home in the 4000 block of S. Oakland Avenue in much the same pattern — using intimidation, blackmail, captivity and threats to their lives and reputations over many months.

According to court documents, he took sexually explicit images of the women and shared some of them on the internet and elsewhere as part of his efforts to control them.

Carey said that the sentence gives Gilliard "the tools to be very successful. He's been compliant since getting out of custody and is doing very well."

Gilliard was an up-and-coming photographer before the allegations, having been mentored by McKnight award-winning Twin Cities photographers Wing Young Huie and Inna Valin.

Gilliard's photography was included in a Gordon Parks-Jamel Shabazz exhibit that opened in January 2020 at the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul.

Carey said Gilliard's sentence does not directly put any limitations on his professional career, other than those placed on access to the internet.