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
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