Santa Ana man charged with possession of machine guns and explicit content involving minors

SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County man was indicted today 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, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Arthit Tanjapatkul, 43, of Santa Ana, is charged with one count of possession of machine guns and three counts of possession of explicit content involving minors.

Tanjapatkul, who was arrested on October 9 in this case and is free on $250,000 bond, is scheduled for arraignment in this case on November 18 in United States District Court in Santa Ana.

According to an affidavit filed on October 8 with the complaint, the investigation into Tanjapatkul began with him selling a regulated military-grade laser to a buyer in March 2023. Law enforcement later learned that the laser had been initially stolen by a military officer who was charged and convicted for his crimes in federal court in North Carolina.

In October 2023, law enforcement searched Tanjapatkul’s home and seized dozens of firearms, including four machine guns. During the same search, agents recovered a cellphone that contained text messages where Tanjapatkul discussed automatic weapons. Law enforcement also recovered a hard drive that contained CSAM.

In July 2024, law enforcement searched a storage unit that Tanjapatkul rented in Santa Ana. In the storage unit, agents found a hard drive containing evidence of knowing possession of a machinegun and explicit content involving minors. Law enforcement also found 10 disks containing explicit content involving minors. The disks alone contained approximately 79 videos and approximately 831 images containing child sexual abuse material.

The drives and disks contained, among other things, videos and images involving minors under 12 years of age. In the home and storage unit, agents also found dozens of firearms and hundreds of items of military equipment that were initially stolen by the same military officer, according to court documents.

A complaint and an indictment contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

If convicted, Tanjapatkul would face a statutory maximum sentence of 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.