GALVESTON, Texas – A 38-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of production and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Scott Jacob McGuire pleaded guilty Aug. 8, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown sentenced McGuire to 360 and 60 months for the production and possession convictions, respectively. They will run consecutively for a total 420-month-term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court an impact statement from one of the identified victims in the images McGuire possessed. McGuire was further ordered to pay $63,000 in restitution to seven of the victims whose images he possessed and the minor victim of whom he created child pornography. Additionally, he will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. McGuire will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
McGuire had engaged in a conversation with someone who he believed to be a father to a young child on Kik, claiming he was also a dad to a three-year-old daughter. McGuire sent an image of the minor female with McGuire’s genitals in her hand and stated he would give the child melatonin so she would “sleep like a rock.” Then, McGuire requested images of the individual molesting his daughter.
Law enforcement was able to locate McGuire in League City and executed a search warrant at his residence. At that time, they seized numerous devices and discovered 721 images of child pornography. McGuire also possessed a large amount of child erotica and CGI animation child pornography.
In addition to the minor victim McGuire used to produce child pornography, he also possessed images and video of victims the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has previously identified in 47 known series.
McGuire has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
FBI – Texas City conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Washington Metropolitan Police FBI Child Exploitation Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.