Meghan Markle's Father Faces Federal Charge in Child Pornography Case
Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested in Florida on Friday for allegedly keeping explicit images of children in storage units in California.
By Talia Bennett ·
Federal agents arrested Thomas Markle Sr., the father of Meghan Markle, on Friday morning in Lakeland, Florida.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced that the 82-year-old is charged with one count of possession of child pornography. Federal agents seized approximately 78 items from two storage units in the Los Angeles area. These units, which Markle Sr. rented for nearly two decades, contained slides, film negatives, and books with suspected child sex abuse material.
The federal complaint alleges that Markle Sr. kept sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls. Investigators described images showing him with children in various stages of undress. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that the allegations are extremely serious. He added that prosecutors will pursue the case to the fullest extent of federal law.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency will use every resource available to protect children. He characterized Markle Sr. as a predator who targeted innocent children. Markle Sr. is scheduled to appear in court in Tampa, Florida, on Friday. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The arrest follows a report by the British tabloid The Sun nearly two weeks ago. That report claimed Markle Sr. was under investigation for keeping child sexual abuse material at his home in the Philippines. Authorities in the Philippines later said they recovered thousands of photos featuring underage males and females. Markle Sr. denied the initial allegations in a statement to the Daily Mail, calling them sick lies. He described the accusations as the worst thing anyone could accuse him of.
Meghan Markle revealed last month that she learned of disturbing allegations against her father in 2018. She described herself as deeply distressed by the recent reports. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said the couple is not commenting on the arrest at this time. Meghan has had a limited relationship with her father in recent years, as he did not attend her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
