Lucas Allen Fussell, a 42-year-old former nurse practitioner from Onley, Virginia, has admitted to federal charges related to the distribution of child pornography. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, alongside FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Fussell entered his guilty plea on December 18 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to two counts of distributing child pornography. Judge Rudolph Contreras set his sentencing hearing for May 6, 2025.
Court documents revealed that between December 20, 2023, and February 7, 2024, Fussell used an anonymous account on an encrypted messaging application to exchange videos and images containing child pornography with another individual. This individual's phone was later seized and searched by the FBI under a warrant. During these exchanges, Fussell inadvertently disclosed personal details such as his home address and vehicle description while making inappropriate comments about examining young patients.
In June 2024, an undercover agent from the FBI-MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force responded to a message from Fussell using the seized phone. On June 22 and June 30 of that year, Fussell sent numerous images and videos depicting sexual abuse involving prepubescent boys.
The FBI conducted a search at Fussell's residence in Onley on July 16, seizing several encrypted electronic devices. He was arrested then and has been held in custody since.
Fussell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison with a statutory maximum of up to 40 years. He is also subject to mandatory restitution payments. However, any final sentence will be determined by the court after considering relevant guidelines.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney and Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV are prosecuting this case with investigations led by the FBI Washington Field Office along with MPD’s Child Exploitation Task Force.
The task force includes agents from various federal entities tasked with addressing child exploitation and human trafficking cases. Support came from multiple agencies including the FBI Norfolk Field Office and local law enforcement bodies like Accomack County Sheriff’s Office.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative started in May 2006 aimed at tackling child sexual exploitation nationwide by coordinating resources across different levels of government for effective intervention against internet-based offenders while aiding victims' rescue efforts.