The Department of Justice released on Friday that adult film actor Justin Heath Smith (also known as Austin Wolf) was arrested and charged for possessing and distributing online child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).

An FBI agent stated in a complaint that Smith, 43, a resident of New York City sent and received hundreds videos depicting child sexual abuse through the Telegram messaging application. In a press release, the DOJ stated that some of the videos showed infants being sexually assaulted.

Smith is a well-known name in the LGBTQ adult film industry and has recently gained a new level fame on social media. He has almost a million fans on X, and he has gained a reputation for collaborating on TikTok with popular creators.

Smith could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for distribution and receiving child pornography and 10 years in jail for possessing child pornography if convicted.

Smith did not respond immediately to a comment request.

The complaint states that, in March, Smith’s anonymous Telegram exchanged CSAM for an account that had been seized by the FBI and searched. According to the complaint, an undercover FBI agent began messaging Smith’s Telegram account. Smith then revealed his personal information.

Smith had a Telegram account linked to one of his sites with more than 12,000 subscribers.

The complaint states that the FBI raided Smith’s Manhattan apartment the following month and found a SD card containing child CSAM.

“I want it to be clear that those who distribute images of child sexual abuse prey on the most vulnerable members of our society.” James Smith, FBI Assistant Director in Charge, said that each image was a crime scene and left lasting scars on the innocent victims. The FBI will not relent in its pursuit of these criminals. We will find them, arrest them and bring them to justice for their crimes.

Telegram has a reputation for being an online environment that is freewheeling, where content which was previously banned can be potentially broadcasted or traded with less oversight .

Telegram will monitor broadcast channels for illegal content. However, on their website, Telegram does not monitor any messaging between users.

Telegram’s representative did not respond immediately to a comment request.