One of the people who crowdfunded the anti-child trafficking film Sound of Freedom has been arrested and charged for child kidnapping.
Fabian Marta was one of thousands of patrons to help fund the creation of Sound of Freedom, which follows the true story of Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel), a former US government agent and founder of anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad.
The film was released in the US in July, with Marta's name appearing in the movie credits among the 'investors [who] helped bring Sound of Freedom to theaters'.
Facebook posts, which have since been deleted, appear to show Marta expressing his pride in funding the film, and seem to feature images the same man who was arrested by police on 23 July by St. Louis Metropolitan Police.
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The police department confirmed to Newsweek that Marta, from Chesterfield, Missouri, was arrested after being charged two days earlier with felony child kidnapping.
The exact nature of the incident which led to Marta's arrest is unclear, but in Missouri child kidnapping is a class A felony.
If he's found guilty, Marta could face 10 years to life in prison.
Marta had his bail was set at $15,000 (£11,700) but was released on 24 July on personal recognizance following an initial appearance in court. Marta's next court date is listed in records as August 28.
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Prior to his arrest, one of the posts which has since been deleted saw the Facebook user praise the Sound of Freedom for tackling a 'tough subject'.
"[It] took extraordinary effort to bring it to movie theaters," the post continued. "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 release of Sound of Freedom was delayed after it was 'bounced around' by studios, creators Angel Studios said, but it was eventually released after $5 million (£3.9m) was crowdfunded for its theatrical release.
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Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon has described Sound of Freedom as a 'riveting film that shares the story of one man's heroic efforts to rescue children from human trafficking'.
"Through this powerful cinematic experience, we aim to amplify the growing movement to expose this heinous violation of human rights and inspire people to take action, helping their communities put an end to this modern-day slavery once and for all," Harmon continued.
Following its release in the US, Sound of Freedom is set to be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 1 September.
UNILAD has contacted the St. Louis Metropolitan Police for comment.
Topics: US News, Film and TV
Emily Brown