Former U.S. Coast Guard Member Sentenced to Over 6 Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

MIAMI - On June 18, a former U.S. Coast Guard Member was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.   

The social media application Snapchat alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that one image of suspected child pornography was uploaded on March 8, 2021, using an account linked to Blayne Schouest, who at the time was a U.S. Coast Guard Member stationed in Key West, Fla. After executing a search warrant, law enforcement discovered seven videos containing child pornography on Schouest’s cell phone.

An indictment charged Schouest with one count of possessing child pornography. Schouest pled guilty to the indictment on March 8.    

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge, Matthew Margelot, U.S. Coast Guard Investitive Service (CGIS) Southeast Field Office, announced the conviction.

CGIS Key West investigated this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Ayer prosecuted it.

To report online child sexual exploitation, use the electronic Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by NCMEC in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other law enforcement agencies.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-10016.

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