NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A former Air Force cryptologist was sentenced on Tuesday to more than seven years for distributing child sexual abuse images of children.

In 2023, 51-year-old Lawson Wright, of Virginia Beach, posed as an 18-year-old Ukrainian refugee named Lara Urbaszewski and claimed to be in a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old boy, according to court documents.

Wright at the time was also a contract employee at Langley Air Force Base as a cryptologist, or someone who generates and programs coding.

On Jan. 24, the Virginia Beach Police Department executed a state search warrant for his email account. Nearly three months later, on April 2, VBPD and Homeland Security Investigations Norfolk searched Wright’s vehicle and home.

The search warrant resulted in the seizure of several electronic devices that contained CSAM. Investigators found CSAM depicting sadistic or masochistic conduct, violence and sexually explicit images involving an infant or toddler.

Wright pleaded guilty to his charges and was sentenced to 87 months in prison. Following his release, he will be required to register as a sex offender, complete a mental health evaluation and be on supervised probation for eight years.