The indictment is sickening. The defendant is well known.

Austin Wolf, whose real name is Justin Heath Smith, is charged with distribution and receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography and could face 20-30 years in prison if he’s found guilty.

Federal agents raided his Manhattan apartment in April and brought the charges on June 28.

The indictment says he used the app Telegram to receive and send hundreds of videos featuring children, including one where the 10-year-old victim is tied up, beaten, and raped. Prosecutors say one of the videos features an infant.

The indictment says “Between March 24 and March 28, 2024, Smith, using an anonymous Telegram account, exchanged hundreds of videos containing child pornography with another individual whose phone was later seized and searched. An undercover FBI agent subsequently began a conversation with Smith’s anonymous Telegram account. In the course of those conversations, Smith revealed details that confirmed his identity.”

An openly gay man, Smith has won several awards for his work under the name Austin Wolf. He’s been in the business more than a decade and appeared in hundreds of videos for major adult studios as well as on personal platforms.

Smith was in court Friday afternoon and pleaded not guilty. His attorneys asked for him to be released on electronically monitored house arrest. And while Smith is innocent until proven guilty, the judge said he is a danger.

The judge called the charges “very troubling,” and said that if Smith went free, even an ankle bracelet “could not reasonably assure the safety of the community.”

The porn star was sent to the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.

Investigators say this is an ongoing case, and are asking anyone who is, or think they know, a victim, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or to submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.