Trigger Warning: This story contains descriptions of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Former adult film performer Justin Heath Smith, known professionally as Austin Wolf, has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors, according to an announcement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The sentence, handed down by Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, follows Smith’s guilty plea to multiple charges of enticing a minor and engaging in a pattern of prohibited sexual conduct.
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“Justin Heath Smith’s crimes against children are horrible,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.
“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. The message to predators from our Office is clear: there is no place for you in New York other than prison.”
From Fame to Federal Court
Court documents reveal that Smith, 44, repeatedly attempted to prey on minors between 2023 and early 2024. Prosecutors detailed multiple incidents in which Smith sought sexual encounters with individuals he believed were underage. In one case, he and another adult engaged in sexual activity with someone they thought was 15 years old. In another, he traveled to meet what he believed was a nine-year-old child offered to him by a man posing as a babysitter.
Disturbing Discoveries
Law enforcement also discovered that Smith solicited and received sexually explicit material from minors. During the investigation, authorities found approximately 1,291 files of child sexual abuse material in his possession, including about 75 files depicting infants or toddlers. Some of the material contained extremely violent acts against children. Smith also shared this horrific material with at least 15 other individuals.
The case was built on the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which intercepted Smith before he could act on one of his most disturbing plans: a meeting with a purported father offering access to his seven-year-old child.
In addition to the prison sentence, Smith will serve 10 years of supervised release and has been ordered to pay a $40,000 fine.
How to Report Suspected Abuse
Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the exploitation of children to contact the FBI at 1-212-384-1000 or submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov.
The sentencing of Justin Heath Smith underscores the federal government’s ongoing effort to combat child exploitation and ensure accountability for offenders—regardless of public profile or past notoriety.
REFERENCE: United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York