On Tuesday, one of the major ringleaders of the ‘Girls Do Porn’ operation pleaded guilty in a federal court to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.
40-year-old Matthew Isaac Wolfe pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court to a single count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Wolfe, the operator of the GirlsDoPorn website, admitted to his role in a scheme that recruited numerous women under false pretenses for pornography.
Stacey Moy, special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office, said:
“Wolfe lied to and preyed on vulnerable young women, subjecting them to years of relentless harassment, fear, and mental anguish.”
Here’s what U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a Tuesday statement:
“This crime had a devastating impact on the victims. 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.”
Other co-defendants in the alleged conspiracy were also named by Authorities: Ruben Andre Garcia, 33, Valorie Moser, 39, Theodore Wilfred Gyi, 44, and GirlsDoPorn co-owner, 39-year-old Michael James Pratt.
On top of it all, Wolfe admitted that GirlsDoPorn co-owner Michael James Pratt, whom authorities are still searching for, operated a website called pornwikileaks.com with identifying information and social media accounts for some women being filmed.
The website was dedicated to “exposing” the true identities of the women appearing in those sex videos, “causing the victims to be subjected to severe harassment,” the DOJ said in a press release.
Back in 2011, Wolfe moved to the United States to work for Pratt, where he would eventually perform various responsibilities until authorities arrested him in 2019. Such tasks allegedly included promoting the business, overseeing the company financials, and uploading the videos onto the internet — approximately 100 of which he filmed — until training co-defendant Theodore Gyi as a cameraman and producer.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported:
A federal grand jury indicted Wolfe three years ago while he and others were facing a lawsuit filed by 22 female victims in San Deigo Superior Court. Wolfe and the others would allegedly recruit women as “models,” who would then be pressured into having sex on camera in various locations like hotel rooms and short-term rentals. Victims testified that they were given alcohol and marijuana before signing a contract, raped, and threatened if they asked to stop.
The videos were published on GirlsDoPorn and other websites despite the women, one of whom was a minor at the time, believing it was for a DVD collection overseas.
The case would eventually end in a $12.7 million judgment against Wolfe, Pratt, and adult performer Ruben Andre Garcia.
“This crime had a devastating impact on the victims,”U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said.
Wolfe faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, while Moser and Gyi, who also pleaded guilty to similar charges, await their sentencing.
Garcia received 20 years after pleading guilty to a sex trafficking conspiracy to a U.S. District Judge in June 2021.
However, Pratt, who authorities have charged with producing child pornography and sex trafficking a minor by force, fraud, or coercion and faces 15 years in prison, is still at large.
Authorities believe Pratt, a New Zealand citizen, fled the country during the civil trial and has ties to multiple countries with “financial means to be anywhere around the world.”
“We know there are people that are helping Pratt,”William McNamara, a San Diego FBI spokesperson Special Agent, told The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Authorities listed Pratt as a fugitive and have offered up to $50,000 in reward money for information leading to his arrest.
Sources: TheDailyWire, The San Diego Union-Tribune
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