An Albert Lea man convicted of receiving thousands of images and videos of child pornography was sentenced in federal court in September to serve seven years and one month in prison.

Jesse Jeff Stewart, 33, will spend 20 years on supervised release after the completion of his prison sentence.

According to court documents, Stewart was found to be in possession of 5,700 images and 370 videos of child pornography. The images and videos, found on four computers and eight CDs, pictured minors under the age of 12 “being brutally and sexually abused,” the documents stated. He downloaded the files over a span of five years.

The documents stated U.S. authorities were alerted to Stewart after an investigation by the German federal police. The police had been investigating a computer network that featured child pornography and found that multiple Internet addresses in the United States had downloaded pornographic images. When they found this out, they contacted American authorities, who ultimately led them to Stewart.

The items were found after a search of a house at 1109 Lincoln Ave. on Dec. 2, 2009. At the time of the search, the residence was owned by Stewart’s father, but the ownership was turned over to Stewart in August 2011 following his father’s death.

U.S. District Court Judge David S. Doty issued the sentence, which was higher than the 72 months recommended by Stewart’s public defender but lower than the 121-151 month recommendation of the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.

The Attorney General’s Office argued in favor of sentencing according to guidelines because Stewart was found to be in possession of additional files after the initial search warrant was conducted, and investigators also found 16 soiled pairs of children’s underwear and bras at the house.

Stewart claimed he stole the underwear from other people’s dirty laundry, court records state. He also reportedly admitted to inappropriately touching a young girl when he was baby-sitting when he was 16.

“The defendant’s history suggests a potential danger to society that can only be mitigated in the long run by a significant period of incarceration and treatment,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote in its sentencing recommendations.

Stewart’s public defender Douglas Olson argued Stewart had accepted responsibility for his actions and said his client wants to turn his life around. He described the crime as one of “compulsion and addiction.”

Doty recommended Stewart be incarcerated in Sandstone or another facility in Minnesota.

He approved a series of conditions that Stewart must comply with after being released from prison.

These included not possessing a firearm or dangerous weapon, submitting a DNA sample, registering as a sex offender, participating in sex offender and mental health treatment, submitting to a search at any time and refraining from child pornography.

He is also not to possess a computer or have access to the Internet without prior written approval by the U.S. Probation Office. He was ordered not to associate with people under 18 except in the presence of an adult that has been approved by his probation officer.