Former adult film actor Austin Wolf has received his prison sentence on two counts of child sexual exploitation.
Content warning: This story includes topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable and/or upset.
On 26 September (Friday), US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer sentenced the 44-year-old – whose real name is Justin Heath Smith – to 19 years in prison for one count of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity and one count for engaging in a pattern of activity involving prohibited sexual conduct.
Alongside his prison sentence, the court imposed a $40,000 fine and 10 years of supervised release.
“Justin Heath Smith’s crimes against children are horrible. He targeted kids as young as seven, and every New Yorker wants him and those like him off our streets for as long as possible and never again near our children,” US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement.
“The women and men of our Office, and our law enforcement partners, are laser-focused on ridding our streets of those who sexually exploit our children. The message to predators from our Office is clear: there is no place for you in New York other than prison.”
Smith’s sentencing comes over a year after he was first arrested for distributing and possessing child sex abuse videos on Telegram.
According to the official complaint, a detailed investigation into Smith first started in April 2024 after the intelligence and security service seized the phone of another Telegram user named ‘Target Telegram User-1.’
While reviewing the individual’s records, they discovered a correspondence with another account named ‘Anon Anon,’ who was believed to be Smith.
During their exchange, which reportedly took place between 24 March and 28 March 2024, the two users allegedly shared “approximately 200 videos” of child pornography “that depicted children as young as infants,” the document read.
After their arrest, ‘Target Telegram User-1’ took part in an interview with authorities, revealing that they had previously met with ‘Anon Anon’ in person, and shared details that matched Smith’s – including “physical description, vocation, and approximate address,” the document continued.
After ‘Target Telegram User-1’ claimed that ‘Anon Anon’ kept child pornography on his home computer, law enforcement executed a search of Smith’s apartment, where they seized his phone and an SD card.
On 20 June, nearly a year after his arrest, Smith pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor during his plea hearing.
According to the New York Post, the former adult film star admitted to the court to “inducing a 15-year-old to engage in a sex act” in late 2023 or early 2024.
“I don’t remember through text or [social media], but phones were definitely used. I know what I was doing was wrong,” Smith reportedly said in between sobs.
“I apologise. I knew it was wrong when I did it. I don’t blame anyone else for my conduct [although] it was another person engaging in the conduct. I take full 100 percent responsibility for my actions, and I am prepared for the consequences.”
For more information about the case, Smith’s plea agreement and statements made in court, click here.
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