A federal judge in Arkansas has sentenced an Emporia man to prison for producing child sex abuse materials.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas says 32-year-old Marcus Abeyta pleaded guilty to one count of producing child sex abuse materials this past February after he was indicted in Arkansas in June 2024. Court proceedings originated in Kansas in May 2024 before being transferred to the Eastern District of Arkansas.
US Attorney’s Office Public Information Officer Paulette Chappelle says the investigation revolved around an incident in December 2023. The US Air Force Office of Special Investigations in Arkansas began looking into allegations of inappropriate and sexually explicit conversations on a minor’s iPad as made by the minor’s parent, an active member of the Air Force. The minor was apparently gaming when Abeyta sent the minor an internet link to leave the game and join him in the Discord online platform. The online conversation went from Abeyta commenting on how sexy the minor was to a request to send explicit photos, which the minor did. Prosecutors say Abeyta knew the victim was a minor and made the requests anyway, offering money and game currency as rewards for the photos.
Abeyta has 15 years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release as part of his sentence. Parole is not an option in the federal court system.
