GirlsDoPorn co-owner Matthew Isaac Wolfe pleaded guilty July 26 to sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion and conspiracy to commit all three charges, and is facing life behind bars.
While operating the San Diego-based adult entertainment website, Wolfe coerced roughly 100 young women ages 18-23 into filming porn that was streamed online, in spite of assuring them the videos would not be shared, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. Wolfe admitted to further exploiting them by revealing their personal social media accounts, “causing the victims to be subjected to severe harassment,” the DOJ said.
breaking: yet another Girls Do Porn conspirator, one of the co-owners, just pleaded guilty in federal court https://t.co/NSM3f6ccWV
— Samantha Cole (@samleecole) July 26, 2022
“This crime had a devastating impact on the victims,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement. “We will seek justice for human trafficking victims in hopes that it will help them reclaim their lives and leave the pain of this experience in the past”
Wolfe admitted to training a cameraman, Theodore Gyi, on particular ways to record the women, and coached him to assure the women their footage would not be shared online, according to the DOJ. He also revealed that his partner and fellow co-owner, Michael James Pratt, operated a sister company called Pornwikileaks.com, in which the personal identities and social media accounts of some of the women was listed, the DOJ said. Wolfe indicated the site was designed to expose the identities of the ladies featured within the sex tapes.
Special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego Filed Office, Stacey Moy, released a statement about Wolfe’s involvement in these crimes. “Wolfe lied to and preyed on vulnerable young women, subjecting them to years of relentless harassment, fear and mental anguish,” Moy said. “Identifying, investigating, and apprehending sex trafficking offenders is a critical part of our mission. We will continue to work with our partners every day to hold these perpetrators accountable for their crimes,” she said. (RELATED: Remains Of Japanese Porn Star Discovered In Horrific Suspected Murder)
GirlsDoPorn co-owner pleads guilty to sex trafficking by force, partner on the lam https://t.co/m4Mcw9ZMDD pic.twitter.com/rS6cqwVSRF
— New York Post (@nypost) July 27, 2022
Pratt is reportedly on the run, and authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. In addition to sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, Pratt is also wanted for production of child pornography and sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud and coercion, according to the New York Post.
Pratt and his assistants allegedly locked women in rooms until their videos were filmed, forcing them to commit sex acts they specified they didn’t want to take part in, the New York Post reported. The women were reportedly paid $3,000-$5,000 for each day that they filmed porn videos. Pratt allegedly earned over $17 million from his sex-trafficking business, according to The New York Post.