The co-owner of a pornographic website pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion in a federal court in California.
Michael Isaac Wolfe, 40, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and is set to be sentenced on October 10, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated in a press release.
Wolf moved to the United States in 2011, where he worked with co-defendant and owner of the San Diego based-website, GirlsDoPorn, Michael James Pratt, 39, who is still at large.
According to the DOJ, the defendant’s responsibilities to the website included filming videos, uploading the videos, overseeing the company’s finances, and operating other aspects of the business.
Wolfe admitted to coercing women to appear in these pornographic videos by lying to them that they would never appear on the internet, that they would never be posted in the U.S., and that no one would ever find out about them. He also trained co-defendant and camera operator Theodore Gyi, 44, to tell the women the videos would not be posted online.
The defendant also admitted to being aware of Pratt’s role in operating pornwikileaks.com, a website that exposes the identities appearing in pornographic content.
Have you seen Michael James Pratt? The #FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest. Pratt allegedly coerced young women into filming sexually explicit videos for his pornography sites. #EndTrafficking #FugitiveFriday https://t.co/uJAmRxAy8V pic.twitter.com/KdFFguN12V
— FBI (@FBI) October 16, 2021
Despite being aware of Pratt’s activities regarding the website, Wolfe continued to lie to women about no one finding out about their pornographic content or identities.
“Wolfe lied to and preyed on vulnerable young women, subjecting them to years of relentless harassment, fear and mental anguish,” said Stacey Moy, special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office, per the press release. “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.”
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Ross Grossman, per the press release.
The FBI is still searching for Pratt, who is from New Zealand, and believes he possibly could have fled the country. The agency is offering a $50,000 reward to anyone who brings information that may lead to the fugitive’s arrest.
“We believe he is likely still victimizing others. And that’s why we feel it’s important to get him off the street,” said Special Agent William McNamara of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office in an October 2021 press release.
Pratt is also facing numerous other charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, and child pornography production.
Other co-defendants involved in the website’s activities, including Gyi, Ruben Andre Garcia, 33, and Valorie Moser, 39, have all pled guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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