Who is Fabian Marta? Anti-child trafficking hit film 'Sound of Freedom' funder arrested for child kidnapping
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI: In a shocking turn of events, one of the crowd funders of the blockbuster film 'Sound of Freedom' released on July 4 has reportedly been taken into custody for the felony kidnapping of a child. Fabian Marta was arrested in Missouri on July 21.
According to the Missouri Courts website, Marta was charged with a felony child kidnapping on July 23. Though his bail has been set at $15,000, he was released on July 24. Marta is set to make his court appearance on August 28. If convicted, he could face 10 years to life in prison, according to Newsweek.
Who is Fabian Marta?
After Disney opted not to distribute 'Sound of Freedom' after the completion of filming, the distribution was made possible through crowd-funding. Marta was allegedly involved in the crowd-funding after the production company, Angel Studios backed the film.
According to the outlet, the 51-year-old's now-deleted Facebook post which cannot be independently verified showed him stating that he and his family are in 'Sound of Freedom' credits under "special thanks." One of his screenshotted posts read, "The 'Sound of Freedom' movie tackles a very tough subject and took extraordinary effort to bring it to movie theaters. 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."
The amount he donated for the film or the extent of his involvement has not been disclosed. Marta has referred to himself as an "angel investor" and also as a "financial partner" in the project.
Angel Studios' clarification on crowdfunding
In a statement shared with Decider, Angel Studios clarified its crowdfunding practices. "Angel Studios 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," said Neal Harmon, CEO of Angel Studios.
"We’re grateful to brave law enforcement officials who have already arrested dozens of traffickers in the weeks following 'Sound of Freedom‘s' release. Our film speaks to this globally-pervasive problem, and it is our hope that perpetrators everywhere will be brought to justice no matter who they are and that even more people will see the film to raise awareness," read his statement.