Former contract Air Force cryptologist pleads guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material

NORFOLK, Va. - A Virginia Beach man pled guilty today to distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, Lawson Heath Wright, 51, was employed at Langley Air Force Base as a contracted cryptologist in 2023 when he distributed CSAM images depicting young children engaged in sexual conduct. Wright posed as an 18-year-old Ukrainian refugee named Lara Urbaszewski and claimed to be having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old male. On multiple occasions, posing as Urbaszewski, Wright used an email account to send CSAM to users.

On Jan. 24, 2024, Virginia Beach Police (VBPD) executed a state search warrant for the e-mail account, and on April 2, 2024, VBPD, in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, executed a state search warrant on Wright's vehicle and residence. Investigators seized several electronic devices including a cellphone, an external hard drive, laptops, and a micro-SD. CSAM was found on each of these devices. Some of the CSAM on Wright's devices depicts sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence or sexually explicit images involving an infant or toddler.

Wright is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 11, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Taylor is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-86.