A Duluth man accused of possessing more than 5,500 child pornography files was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison this week, after admitting to distributing the materials over the Internet.

Mark John Branovan, 54, received a 68-month prison sentence and five years of supervised probation during an appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. Judge Patrick J. Schlitz ordered Branovan to surrender on Oct. 6.

Branovan was charged after he distributed 29 images and two videos to an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent in February 2012, according to an indictment. The agent contacted Branovan on a peer-to-peer network, and the two engaged in a conversation about swapping child pornography images.

Branovan gave the agent access to multiple folders, where the images were found, according to the indictment. An Internet Protocol trace led authorities to Branovan’s home, where a search warrant was executed. A computer was found containing more than 2,500 images of suspected child pornography, and more than a dozen CDs were found to contain an additional 3,000 images, the indictment states.

Branovan pleaded guilty in March to a charge of distribution of child pornography. Two counts of possession of child pornography were dismissed through a plea agreement.

At the time of the charges, Branovan was working as the director of hospitality at St. Luke’s hospital. He was also serving as an assistant coach for the Duluth East baseball team and previously coached in the Duluth Eastern Little League. The charges were not related to his coaching.

Branovan did not have a prior criminal history.