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Justin Heath Smith, who uses the stage name “Austin Wolf.” sent images depicting children as young as infants, "including a ghastly video showing a young child bound, beaten, and raped," said Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
In addition to sharing child pornography via the Telegram app, the 43-year-old Smith was also charged with possessing hundreds of additional videos containing child porn in his Manhattan apartment.
According to the allegations contained in the complaint:
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 by the FBI pursuant to a search warrant.
An undercover FBI agent subsequently conversed with Smith’s anonymous Telegram account. During those conversations, Smith revealed details that confirmed his identity.
On April 21, 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant at Smith’s Manhattan apartment, which revealed an SD card with hundreds of videos containing child pornography.
Smith has been charged with:
- One count of distribution and receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison,
- One count of possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
“I want to make it clear: those who distribute child sexual abuse images prey upon the most vulnerable in our society," FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said. "Each image is a crime scene, leaving lasting scars on innocent victims. The FBI is relentless in our pursuit of these perpetrators. We will track them down, arrest them, and ensure they face justice for the harm they cause.”
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