Latest news with #JustinHeathSmith
Express Tribune
24-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Adult film actor Austin Wolf, pleaded guilty to enticing a 15-year-old into sexual activity.
Justin Heath Smith, professionally known as adult film actor Austin Wolf, has pleaded guilty to the federal charge of enticing a minor for sex, according to court documents cited by the New York Post. The plea, entered on June 20, comes nearly a year after his arrest in New York on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) charges. The federal offense of 'enticement of a minor' carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Smith expressed remorse during his court appearance, admitting to having induced a 15-year-old to engage in a sex act. 'I knew it was wrong when I did it. I take full 100% responsibility for my actions and I am prepared for the consequences,' he said. As part of the plea deal, the original CSAM charges—possession and distribution, which carried potential sentences of up to 20 years—will be dropped. The agreement also includes Smith's forfeiture of more than 25 electronic devices connected to the investigation. Smith had been under investigation since his arrest in June 2024, when FBI agents executed a search warrant at his apartment and allegedly discovered an SD card containing around 200 CSAM videos. According to the Justice Department's complaint, Smith was accused of using the encrypted messaging app Telegram to send and receive explicit material involving minors, including images of children under 12 and videos of infants. He is currently being held without bail at New York City's Metropolitan Detention Center, a high-security facility known for housing high-profile detainees. His sentencing is scheduled for September 9. Smith's attorneys had recently filed to reschedule a hearing, confirming his intention to plead guilty to the charge carrying the mandatory minimum sentence.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Former gay porn star Austin Wolf admits possessing trove of child abuse imagery
A popular gay porn star will plead guilty to possessing child pornography after the FBI found hundreds of deeply disturbing videos on his digital storage drive. Justin Heath Smith, known in the gay adult film world as Austin Wolf, is set to accept federal child pornography charges carrying a mandatory prison sentence. Wolf, 43, has been in federal custody in New York since his June 2024 arrest. He allegedly exchanged 'hundreds of videos' of child sex abuse material including content involving prepubescent children and even infants over the Telegram messaging service. Smith was initially caught after the feds carried out an undercover operation that led to a search of his Manhattan apartment. Agents allegedly found an SD card containing hundred of videos of child pornography. Wolf allegedly exchanged the horrific clips with the anonymous target of an investigation by the bureau. The two allegedly used the encrypted app Telegram to trade content, which authorities said included a video of a ten-year-old child being bound and raped. Wolf's defense attorney Thomas Andrykovitz confirmed that his client intended 'to plead guilty to a mandatory minimum charge with a significant advisory range under the United States Sentencing Guidelines'. One of Wolf's last social media posts chillingly read: 'Have you seen what happens to little boys that follow me to the locker room?' Prosecutor Getzel Berger described Wolf as a 'danger to children online, danger to children offline, danger to children everywhere', as he argued for stern sentencing.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
BREAKING: Gay porn star Austin Wolf pleads guilty to federal charges of enticing a minor for sex
Just shy of one year since his arrest, Justin Heath Smith—the adult film performer known professionally as Austin Wolf—pleaded guilty Friday in a Manhattan federal courtroom to a felony charge of enticing a 15-year-old boy to engage in sex. Smith, 43, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer nearly a year after his June 28, 2024, arrest following an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation operation. Prosecutors say Smith used electronic communications in late 2023 and early 2024 to lure a minor to New York City for sexual activity, according to court documents. They allege he acted in concert with another adult and knowingly crossed a legal threshold meant to protect minors from predatory conduct. For years, Smith was one of the most prominent figures in gay adult entertainment—commercially successful, widely followed, and carefully branded. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life. Engelmayer has scheduled Smith's sentencing for September 29 at 11 a.m. in the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse in lower Manhattan. As part of the plea agreement, Smith consented to the forfeiture of more than two dozen electronic devices seized from his home during an April 2024 raid. That list includes smartphones, hard drives, and multiple Mac computers, which federal investigators say were either used in the commission of the crime or contain evidence of it. Since his arrest, Smith has been held at MDC Brooklyn without bond. The investigation revealed what prosecutors described as 'hundreds of videos' of child sexual abuse material, including content involving prepubescent children and infants. Much of the material was allegedly exchanged via the encrypted messaging platform Telegram. At sentencing, Smith will face federal prison guidelines that start from a high baseline for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors. In addition to prison time, he may be ordered to pay a $5,000 penalty under a federal anti-trafficking law that supports services for survivors. This article originally appeared on Pride: BREAKING: Gay porn star Austin Wolf pleads guilty to federal charges of enticing a minor for sex
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Popular former porn star set to plead guilty to federal child pornography charge
A popular former gay porn star is set to plead guilty to possessing child pornography after the FBI found he had allegedly sent and received hundreds of deeply disturbing videos. Justin Heath Smith, also known in the gay adult film world as Austin Wolf, is expected to plead guilty Friday to a federal child pornography charge carrying a mandatory minimum prison sentence. Smith, 43, has been in federal custody in New York since his June 2024 arrest. He allegedly exchanged 'hundreds of videos' of child sex abuse material including content involving prepubescent children and even infants over the Telegram messaging service. Smith was initially caught after the feds carried out an undercover operation that led to a search of his Manhattan apartment. Agents allegedly found an SD card containing hundred of videos of child pornography. He allegedly exchanged the sickening videos with the anonymous target of an investigation by the bureau. The two allegedly used the encrypted app Telegram to trade the horrific content, which authorities said included a video of a 10-year-old child being bound and raped. Smith, 43, allegedly exchanged 'hundreds of videos' of child sex abuse material including content involving prepubescent children and even infants over the Telegram messaging service Smith's defense attorney, Thomas H. Andrykovitz, wrote that his client 'intends to plead guilty to a mandatory minimum charge with a significant advisory range under the United States Sentencing Guidelines,' in a letter to US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer. The plea hearing is scheduled for 11:45 am Friday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Reports say an undercover FBI agent zeroed in on Wolf after finding him through the anonymous target of the probe, who confirmed his identity by talking to him through the target's Telegram account. Wolf's Manhattan apartment was raided by the FBI following the sting in April 2024, where cops reportedly found hundreds of videos of child porn on an SD card in his computer room. One of Wolf's last social media posts chillingly read: 'Have you seen what happens to little boys that follow me to the lock room?' He appeared in court last June after the sting operation. Prosecutor Getzel Berger described Wolf as a 'danger to children online, danger to children offline, danger to children everywhere', as he argued for him to be put behind bars awaiting trial. US Attorney Damian Williams said that 'Justin Heath Smith received and distributed hundreds of recordings containing child pornography, including a ghastly video showing a young child bound, beaten, and raped.' 'Together with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue those predators who victimize children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.' It is not the first time Wolf has made headlines for the wrong reasons. He was caught in 2018 having a mid-flight romp with a flight attendant. Footage emerged of the two having sex inside an aircraft restroom, with the Delta staffer still wearing their uniform when they were caught.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BREAKING: Adult performer Austin Wolf to plead guilty to federal child pornography charges
Justin Heath Smith, the gay adult performer widely known as Austin Wolf, is expected to plead guilty Friday to at least one charge related to federal child pornography possession that carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence, marking a grim turning point in a case that has sent tremors through the adult entertainment industry and LGBTQ+ communities online. The plea hearing is scheduled for Friday at 11:45 a.m. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, according to newly filed court documents. In a letter to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, defense attorney Thomas H. Andrykovitz wrote that Smith 'intends to plead guilty to a mandatory minimum charge with a significant advisory range under the United States Sentencing Guidelines.' The government did not oppose the delay from the original Wednesday hearing date. This has been continued since last summer. Smith, 43, has been held without bond at the MDC Brooklyn since his arrest in June 2024. Prosecutors allege he exchanged 'hundreds of videos' of child sexual abuse material via the encrypted messaging app Telegram, including footage involving prepubescent children and infants. The case was initially sparked by a federal undercover operation and a subsequent search of Smith's Manhattan apartment, where agents allegedly found an SD card containing illegal content. In his filing, Andrykovitz cited the complexity of the case and the 'essential' need for more time to prepare Smith for allocution. A defendant must accept responsibility for their crimes when they plead guilty. 'Proceeding on the current schedule would not permit meaningful preparation,' he wrote, noting the defense's longstanding relationship with Smith and their intent to ensure the plea is knowing and voluntary. The case against Smith—who cultivated an image of power, luxury, and masculinity in the gay adult entertainment world under the moniker Austin Wolf—has prompted a reckoning within corners of the industry and among fans. While Smith has not yet publicly addressed the charges, multiple industry peers have distanced themselves or spoken out in disgust since the allegations became public. Many said they were unsurprised, given Smith's propensity for featuring very young-looking individuals in many of his videos, particularly those on sites like OnlyFans. As PRIDE previously reported, Smith was charged last summer after federal agents said he distributed and possessed child sex abuse material. Prosecutors allege that Smith sent the illicit content to an undercover FBI agent and that the digital evidence included some of the most graphic and egregious violations federal law covers. His legal team has maintained that the charges remain unproven and criticized the conditions at MDC Brooklyn, where Smith has been detained since June 28, 2024. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Smith's detention but declined to comment on specific allegations due to privacy and security protocols. While the exact plea terms have not been disclosed, the language in the defense's June 17 motion strongly indicates that Smith will accept a deal involving incarceration.
