A 22-year-old Bayport man was indicted on child exploitation charges after a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children led to a Suffolk County investigation, authorities said.
Ryan Yost was arraigned April 16 on multiple felony counts of promoting and possessing a sexual performance by a child, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Core Details
Prosecutors said the case began on August 30, 2025, when NCMEC received information that child sexual abuse material had allegedly been downloaded through the social media platform Discord. The organization referred the information to the Suffolk County Police Department’s Digital Forensics Unit.
Detectives executed a search warrant as part of the investigation and allegedly recovered multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse material from Yost’s electronic devices and social media accounts, including Snapchat.
Yost was arrested on January 20, 2026.
Charges and Court Proceedings
A grand jury indicted Yost on four counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child, class D felonies, and seven counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, class E felonies.
At his arraignment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis, bail was set at $10,000 cash, $20,000 bond, or a $100,000 partially secured bond. He is due back in court on May 28.
Legal Stakes
If convicted of the top charge, Yost faces up to seven years in prison.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said his office remains committed to prosecuting cases involving the exploitation of children.
The case is being handled by Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Raso of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau. The investigation was led by Detective Steven Dagostino of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Digital Forensics Unit.
Yost is represented by attorney Craig Fleisher.
Criminal charges are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
