SPOKANE - A Moses Lake man who distributed pornographic images involving an infant was sentenced this week to five years in federal prison.

Benjamin James Brekke, 23, pleaded guilty in February to distribution of child porn after admitting to sharing the graphic images. A charge of child pornography possession was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

On Oct. 17, Brekke distributed about 11 pictures to an undercover employee working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was arrested the next day and federal authorities obtained search warrants for Brekke's cellphones. Investigators reportedly found more than 1,500 images of child pornography on one of the phones.

Brekke was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Thomas O. Rice in Spokane's U.S. District Court. He was ordered to register as a sex offender and will be on supervised release for the rest of his life. Brekke also must participate and complete a state-certified sex offender treatment program and cannot come in contact with anyone younger than 18 without approved adult supervision.

The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

"Prosecuting offenders who are not only collecting child pornography, but also distributing child pornographic images is a priority of the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Washington," U.S. Attorney Michael C. Ormsby said in a press release.