Police arrested an investor who donated funds to the anti-child sex trafficking film, “Sound of Freedom,” as an alleged accessory to child kidnapping. Fabian Marta, 51, one of nearly 7,000 patrons who donated to the film, is facing a Class A felony, carrying a penalty of 10 to 30 years in prison, or life imprisonment. St. Louis Metropolitan Police confirmed that Marta, from Chesterfield, Missouri was arrested on July 21 and charged two days later.
The 51-year-old was the landlord to a woman and child who were involved in a custody dispute with the woman’s aunt. Marta allegedly provided living arrangements for the woman and her child. Details regarding the specific incident leading to the criminal charges have not yet been disclosed.
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Important Notice: We are not affiliated with Angel Studios' crowdfunding, Fabian Marta, or any financial contribution he has made to the Sound of Freedom. Our stance remains firm: If Fabian Marta is found guilty, he should be sentenced to the fullest extent of the law. pic.twitter.com/VMKnVNnC1C
— Operation Underground Railroad (@OURrescue) August 5, 2023
“The charges are ill-conceived,” Marta’s attorney Scott Rosenblum told The Post. “He had nothing to do with kidnapping anyone.” Rosenblum added that his client will plead “not guilty” at his August 28 hearing and expects a full acquittal.
According to a screenshot from a deleted Facebook post acquired by Newsweek, Marta wrote about his excitement of the film’s release as well as being a part of it. “The Sound of Freedom movie tackles a very tough subject and took extraordinary effort to bring it to movie theaters,” one of the screenshotted posts said. “I’m proud to have been a small part of it. If you see the movie look for ‘Fabian Marta and Family’ at the very end of the credits.”
“Fabian Marta & Family” appears on a list of generous contributors in the film’s credits at around 129 minutes and 30 seconds in its run time.
According to the film’s production company Angel Studios, production was delayed due to the pandemic and studios bounced around the idea of funding it before nearly $5 million was crowdfunded for its theatrical release.
CEO of Angel Studios, Neal Harmon, stated that the company “adhered to the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations in allowing 6,678 people to invest an average of $501 each into the launch of “Sound of Freedom.”
“Just as anyone can invest in the stock market, everyone who meets the legal criteria can invest in Angel Studios projects. One of the perks of investing was the ability to be listed in the credits.”
Court records do not yet list his legal counsel in the case but Marta’s bail was set at $15,000 and he was released on “personal recognizance following an initial appearance on July 24.”
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