Justin Heath Smith, the gay adult performer better known as Austin Wolf, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison following a high-profile child sex abuse materials case. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer delivered the sentence on Monday, months after Smith pleaded guilty to enticing a minor. His arrest in 2024 marked the beginning of a turbulent legal saga that has shocked both law enforcement and the adult entertainment industry.
Prosecutors Push for Maximum Penalty
In a statement, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton condemned Smith’s actions. “Justin Heath Smith’s crimes against children are horrible,” Clayton said. “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.”
In a 15-page sentencing memorandum dated September 22, prosecutors urged the court to impose a term near the top of the federal guidelines—188 to 235 months, or roughly 15.5 to 19.5 years. They described Smith as a “serial predator” whose behaviour extended beyond the 15-year-old at the centre of his plea deal. According to prosecutors, Smith conspired with other men to exploit minors, solicited sexually explicit content from teenagers, and tried to arrange meetings with children as young as nine and 12.
One particularly disturbing exchange cited by prosecutors involved Smith asking a teenage boy to send him images of his 10-year-old sister. They also described a February 2024 conversation in which Smith engaged in “race play” with a 15-year-old boy, using racist language while soliciting explicit content.
Prosecutors called Smith’s conduct “unusually egregious” and argued that it warranted the highest possible sentence. “The defendant’s repeated sexual exploitation of children requires a sentence at the top end of the guidelines range,” they wrote.
Clayton added: “The women and men of our Office, and our law enforcement partners, are laser-focused on ridding our streets of those who sexually exploit our children. The message to predators from our Office is clear: there is no place for you in New York other than prison.”
Defence Seeks Minimum Term
Smith’s attorneys, Michael Baldassare and Thomas Andrykovitz, filed their own memorandum on September 16, followed by a reply on September 25, urging Judge Engelmayer to impose no more than the 120-month statutory minimum. They argued that federal sentencing guidelines were inflated and highlighted Smith’s lack of prior convictions, his sobriety, and his previous advocacy for adult industry performers.
They also accused prosecutors of including unproven allegations in their submission. “The government does not offer a single case or statute to justify its request for a sentence of nearly 20 years,” they wrote, adding that Smith had made efforts at rehabilitation while being held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, which they described as having “inhumane” conditions.
Survivors Speak Out
Days before sentencing, prosecutors filed victim impact statements from individuals depicted in the child sexual abuse material found on Smith’s devices. These statements underscored the ongoing trauma suffered by survivors.
One survivor, identified as Liam, recounted years of abuse beginning at age 10, just days after his father’s sudden death. Groomed by a family friend, Liam endured repeated assaults that were filmed and photographed. “This was the start of my nightmare, which I didn’t fully understand at the time, or how it would affect my life forever,” he wrote.
Another statement, submitted by a victim’s mother, stressed that every viewing of such images retraumatises survivors, prolonging their pain and violation.
Industry Fallout
Smith’s arrest in June 2024 sent shockwaves through the adult entertainment industry, where he was once a leading performer. Studios swiftly cut ties after FBI agents recovered hundreds of child sexual abuse videos from an SD card in his Manhattan apartment. Over the following year, the case was marked by more than a dozen continuances before prosecutors and the defence reached a plea agreement.
Some in the adult industry have voiced concerns that Smith’s crimes could fuel political attacks on LGBTQ+ sex work. “This is catastrophic news,” one content creator said. “We have to do everything in our power to separate us from people like this.”
