Gay porn star Austin Wolf has been arrested and charged with distributing and possessing child sex abuse videos on Telegram.
Content warning: This story includes topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable and/or upset.
On 28 June, federal officials announced that the adult performer – whose real name is Justin Heath Smith – was taken into custody and would later be presented in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky in Manhattan federal court.
“As alleged, Justin Heath Smith received and distributed hundreds of recordings – including a ghastly video showing a young child bound, beaten, and raped,” United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damien Smith said in a press release.
“Our investigation into Smith is ongoing, and we urge anyone with information about Smith’s conduct to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
The Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, James Smith, added: “I want to make it clear: those who distribute child sexual abuse images prey upon the most vulnerable in our society. Each image is a crime scene, leaving lasting scars on innocent victims.”
According to the official complaint, a detailed investigation into Wolf 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 Wolf.
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.
The anonymous individual also shared details that matched Wolf’s – including “physical description, vocation, and approximate address,” the document continued.
To further confirm their suspicions, an FBI Online Covert Employee used the account of ‘Target Telegram User-1’ to converse with ‘Anon Anon,’ who messaged the former about his travels to the Caribbean on 16 April.
The revelation resulted in authorities obtaining documents from the United States Customs and Border Protection, which confirmed Wolf’s travels from New York to St Maarten between 14 April and 21 April, which ‘Anon Anon’ mentioned.
After ‘Target Telegram User-1’ claimed that ‘Anon Anon’ kept child pornography on his home computer, law enforcement executed a search of Wolf’s apartment, where they seized his phone and an SD card.
After going through the confiscated material, they discovered “videos depicting child pornography,” according to the complaint.
If convicted, Wolf can face up to 20 years in prison for distributing and receiving child pornography and up to 10 years for possession of child pornography.
As of writing, neither Wolf nor reps for Telegram have released a statement regarding the developing situation.
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