A Onley Pedophile nurse from Virginia, Lucas Fussell, was sentenced Monday to more than 87 months in jail and ten years of supervised release for disseminating child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via an end-to-end encrypted chat service. He was additionally mandated to remit a fine of $20,000.
“The defendant, a nurse practitioner in a position of trust, utilised an end-to-end encrypted messaging application to distribute images illustrating the abuse of young children and boasted about the efficacy of his methods to elude law enforcement detection,” stated Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
He believed he could employ technology to conceal his offences, but he was mistaken. Today’s sentencing should act as a cautionary message: to those who would endanger vulnerable children, we will find, prosecute, and hold you accountable for your actions.
Court filings indicate that Lucas Fussell, 43, formerly of Onley, Virginia, utilised the Session messaging application to transmit and receive many films and photographs illustrating the rape and sexual exploitation of prepubescent boys with another person.
Lucas Fussell, a nurse practitioner, also mentioned numerous of his male patients, including minors, in these communications and bragged about the advanced technology strategies he employed to avoid discovery by law authorities.
The FBI acquired the mobile of the other individual. In June 2024, Lucas Fussell transmitted nine recordings to an undercover cop, illustrating the sexual exploitation of prepubescent boys.
Lucas Fussell was arrested in July 2024 and has remained in custody since then. In December 2024.
Lucas Fussell entered a guilty plea to the allegations brought against him without a plea agreement.
Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV from the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Paul Courtney, prosecuted the case for the District of Columbia. The High Technology Investigative Unit (HTIU) of CEOS rendered significant support in the case investigation.
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