A Virginia nurse practitioner, Lucas Fussell, age 43, was sentenced to more than 87 months in prison, ten years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine for distributing child sexual abuse material through an encrypted messaging platform.
According to court documents, Fussell used the Session messaging application to exchange numerous videos and images depicting the sexual exploitation and rape of prepubescent boys with another individual. He also discussed several of his male patients, including minors, and described the measures he used to avoid detection.
The investigation began after the FBI obtained the phone of his communication partner, revealing the exchanges. In June 2024, Fussell sent nine videos of child sexual exploitation to an undercover officer. He was arrested in July 2024 and detained until he pled guilty in December 2024.
The case was prosecuted by attorneys from the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local enforcement resources to investigate, prosecute, and rescue victims.
Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/virginia-nurse-sentenced-over-seven-years-prison-distributing-child-sexual-abuse-material
Commentary
Quoting the source:
"The defendant, who occupied a position of trust as a nurse practitioner, used an end-to-end encrypted messaging application to disseminate images depicting the abuse of young children and bragged about the effectiveness of the measures that he used to evade law enforcement detection," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "He thought that he could use technology to hide his crimes, but he was wrong. His sentence today should serve as a warning – to those that would harm vulnerable children, we will identify you, prosecute you, and bring you to justice.
Organizations committed to maintaining child-safe environments must establish strict prohibitions against taking or sharing images of children and against using encrypted messaging platforms for any communication involving minors.
These safeguards are essential because encrypted channels can obscure misconduct, hinder monitoring, and create opportunities for exploitation or grooming. Even when intentions appear legitimate, the inability to audit communications or verify image use exposes both children and the organization to risk.
All interactions with minors should occur through authorized, transparent, and monitored systems that ensure accountability.
Images or recordings of children should only be made with explicit parental consent and used solely for approved educational or programmatic purposes.
The final takeaway is that by maintaining clear boundaries, ensuring visibility of all communications, and prohibiting the use of encrypted or private messaging for child-related matters, child safe organizations reinforce trust, protect vulnerable individuals, and uphold their legal and ethical responsibilities.
