Air Force Major Indicted on 128 Counts

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative file photo — Prince George’s County Police. Air Force Maj. Richard F. Gayson of Fort Washington, Maryland, was indicted Sept. 16 on 128 counts of possession of child pornography. He is presumed innocent unless convicted.

A U.S. Air Force major in Maryland has been indicted on 128 counts of possession of child pornography, months after a judge released him to private home detention over prosecutors' objections.

Richard F. Gayson, 34, of Fort Washington, was indicted Wednesday in Prince George's County, according to the county State's Attorney's Office.

The case began in December 2025, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified police about suspected child sexual abuse material that had allegedly been uploaded to a cloud-storage service.

According to charging documents reported by local media, the tip included 21 suspected videos uploaded on Dec. 12. Synchronoss Technologies, which provides cloud services to telecommunications companies, supplied information linking the uploads to an account associated with Gayson.

Investigators also received an IP address connected to the uploads. Police determined that address was associated with a Verizon account belonging to Gayson, according to the charging documents.

Authorities executed a search warrant at Gayson's Fort Washington residence on Feb. 4.

Investigators seized multiple electronic devices, including two laptops, two cellphones, a flash drive and a microSD card. Authorities said suspected child sexual abuse material was found on multiple devices.

Gayson was arrested May 6 and initially ordered held without bond.

But during a July 10 bond-review hearing, a judge released him to private home detention despite opposition from prosecutors, according to the State's Attorney's Office.

Then came Wednesday's new development: a grand jury indicted Gayson on 128 counts of possession of child pornography.

The State's Attorney's Office identifies Gayson as a major in the U.S. Air Force. His name also appears in a 2023 Congressional Record list of Air Force officers nominated for appointment to the rank of major.

Public reporting has not identified his current Air Force assignment or disclosed whether the service has taken separate administrative or military-justice action in connection with the case.

Gayson's next reported court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 9.

An indictment is an accusation, not a conviction. Gayson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

(Source: OAF Nation)