Porn star Austin Wolf mouths two word message to his partner as he appears in court over horrifying child sex abuse charges - where prosecutor blasts him as 'a danger to children everywhere'

Porn star Austin Wolf appeared in court this week following an FBI sting operation that officials claim uncovered sickening child pornography. 

The adult entertainer, 43, real name Justin Heath Smith, walked into Manhattan federal court on Friday afternoon to face the music - before turning to his partner of 10 years in the gallery and mouthing: 'I'm sorry.' 

Prosecutor Getzel Berger described Wolf as a 'danger to children online, danger to children offline, danger to children everywhere', as he argued for him to be put behind bars awaiting trial. 

Wolf's attorneys unsuccessfully tried to have the judge impose a 24-hour house arrest order instead, however the judge disagreed due to the 'very troubling' nature of the charges against him. 

The 43-year-old appeared in court Friday wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans, but did not walk back out as he was sent to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. 

Wolf's attorneys urged the judge not to send him to the lockup, which has a notorious reputation for squalid conditions and perilous risks for inmates. 

The facility is currently under a 23-hour-a-day lockdown after an inmate was stabbed to death earlier this month, and Wolf's attorneys attempted to spare him this fate by turning his 'apartment (into) the MDC.' 

They added that allowing him to remain in his Manhattan apartment with a GPS monitor would 'let him eat, shower, not get murdered.' 

But the judge cited the 'very troubling' charges against Wolf as the reason he rejected the proposal, and said that releasing the porn star 'could not reasonably assure the safety of the community.' 

Wolf faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charges against him, including distribution and receipt of child pornography as well as possession of child pornography. 

He was snared in an undercover FBI sting operation, after he allegedly exchanged sickening videos with the anonymous target of an investigation by the bureau. 

The two allegedly used the encrypted app Telegram to trade horrific content, which authorities said included a video of a 10-year-old child being bound and raped. 

Reports say an undercover FBI agent then zeroed in on Wolf after finding him through the anonymous target of the probe, who confirmed his identity by talking to him through the target's Telegram account. 

Wolf's Manhattan apartment was raided by the FBI following the sting in April, where cops reportedly found hundreds of videos of child porn on an SD card in his computer room. 

One of Wolf's last social media posts chillingly reads: 'Have you seen what happens to little boys that follow me to the lock room?' 

US Attorney Damian Williams said after his arrest this week: 'As alleged, Justin Heath Smith received and distributed hundreds of recordings containing child pornography, including a ghastly video showing a young child bound, beaten, and raped.

'Our investigation into Smith is ongoing, and we urge anyone with information about Smith’s conduct to call the FBI.

'Together with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue those predators who victimize children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.' 

It is not the first time Wolf has made headlines for the wrong reasons, after he was caught in 2018 having a mid-flight romp with a flight attendant. 

Footage emerged of the two having sex inside an aircraft lavatory, with the Delta staffer still wearing their uniform when they were caught.