The FBI claims that Justin Heath Smith, better known online as Austin Wolf, exchanged the photos over the messaging service Telegram.
The Department of Justice said on Friday that adult film star Justin Heath Smith, better known online as Austin Wolf, was taken into custody and charged with having and disseminating child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
An FBI agent claimed in an undisclosed complaint that Smith, a 43-year-old New York City resident, used the messaging software Telegram to send and receive hundreds of films showing child sexual abuse. According to a news statement from the DOJ, the recordings featured footage of children being sexually molested.
Smith is well-known in the LGBTQ adult film industry, and social media has lately helped him reach a new level of notoriety. On X, he has around a million followers, and on TikTok, he’s become known for working with well-known creators.
Smith may spend up to 20 years distributing and receiving child pornography if found guilty, and an additional 10 years for possessing it.
Smith did not answer a request for comment right away.
According to the complaint, Smith traded CSAM with an account that the FBI seized and searched in March through his anonymous Telegram account. According to the lawsuit, an undercover FBI agent began contacting Smith’s account, where Smith subsequently disclosed personal information.
Smith had more than 12,000 subscribers to a Telegram channel that was linked on one of his websites.
The FBI allegedly discovered an SD card with child CSAM during a raid on Smith’s Manhattan residence the following month.
To be honest, people who disseminate photographs of child sexual assault prey on the weakest members of our society. James Smith, the associate director in charge of the FBI, stated that every picture is a crime scene that leaves innocent victims with permanent wounds. “The FBI is pursuing these offenders with tenacity. We’ll find them, apprehend them, and make sure they pay for the damage they create with justice.
Telegram is renowned for being an open-minded internet platform where anything that has been prohibited elsewhere may be shared or broadcast without restriction.
While Telegram claims on its website that it does not monitor any kind of user chat, it does enforce regulations against unlawful content in broadcast channels.
A request for comment from a Telegram spokesperson was not immediately answered.
