LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement on the involvement of his office in the arrest of Marcus Allen Abeyta, 31, of Emporia, Kansas, on one federal count of production of child pornography involving a minor residing in Arkansas:

“Bringing child pornographers to justice requires collaboration across multiple jurisdictions including, in this matter, federal, military, and state law enforcement. Abeyta is not a member of the military, but my office took the lead on this case because the victim is the child of parents stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base.

“During our investigation, it was discovered that Abeyta is a suspect in numerous other criminal investigations involving child exploitation in other states. I thank my office’s Special Investigations Division for working closely with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on this matter.”

Abeyta was arrested on May 16 at his residence, and his cell phone was seized for digital forensic examination. The examination led to the identification of other minor victims in various parts of the country. HSI and Griffin’s office are still working through evidence to identify other potential victims.

Abeyta is currently being held in Kansas at the Butler County Jail awaiting transfer to Little Rock by the U.S. Marshals Service.