SANTA ANA, California
An Orange County man was indicted Wednesday for allegedly possessing four machine guns and hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that law enforcement recovered at his home and from a storage unit he rented, officials stated.
Arthit Tanjapatkul, 43, of Santa Ana, is charged with one count of possession of machine guns and three counts of possession of child pornography.
Tanjapatkul was arrested on October 9 in this case and is free on $250,000 bond.
An affidavit filed on October 8 revealed that the investigation into Tanjapatkul began in March 2023 when he sold a regulated military-grade laser to a buyer.
The laser had originally been stolen by a military officer, who was later charged and convicted in federal court in North Carolina.
In October 2023, law enforcement searched Tanjapatkul’s home, seizing dozens of firearms, including four machine guns. They also recovered a cellphone with text messages about automatic weapons and a hard drive containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
In July 2024, agents searched a storage unit Tanjapatkul rented in Santa Ana, finding another hard drive with evidence of machine gun possession and child pornography. Additionally, they found 10 disks containing approximately 79 videos and 831 images of CSAM, some involving minors under 12.
Court documents state that agents also discovered firearms and military equipment linked to the same officer’s theft. Tanjapatkul is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but if convicted, he faces up to 70 years in federal prison.
The FBI is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kedar S. Bhatia of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.