WASHINGTON – A Virginia nurse was sentenced today to more than seven years in prison for distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through an encrypted messaging platform.
According to the Justice Department, Lucas Fussell, 43, formerly of Onley, Virginia, was sentenced to 87 months in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
Court records show that Fussell used the Session encrypted messaging application to exchange videos and images of prepubescent boys being sexually abused. Investigators said Fussell also discussed several of his male patients, including children, and bragged about the measures he used to avoid law enforcement detection.
In June 2024, Fussell sent an undercover officer nine videos depicting the exploitation of young boys. He was arrested the following month and has remained in custody. In December 2024, he pleaded guilty to the indicted charges without a plea agreement.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Paul Courtney of the District of Columbia. The FBI and CEOS’ High Technology Investigative Unit assisted in the investigation.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
