Thomas Markle Jr. Arrested In Florida Over Federal Charges
The 82-year-old father of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex faces one count of possession of child pornography based on evidence found in storage units.
By Sofia Ramirez ·
Thomas Markle Sr. was arrested in Lakeland, Florida, on Friday morning. Federal agents took the 82-year-old into custody on charges of possessing child sexual abuse material.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced the arrest in a news release. Markle Sr. faces one count of possession of child pornography. The federal complaint alleges he stored such material in two storage units located in the Los Angeles area. He rented these units for nearly two decades.
Agents seized approximately 78 items during the search. These items included slides, film negatives, and books containing suspected abuse material. The affidavit describes images that appear to show Markle Sr. with children in various stages of undress. Investigators noted one photo showing a nude prepubescent girl.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli stated that the allegations are extremely serious. He said the office will prosecute Markle Sr. to the fullest extent of federal law. FBI Director Kash Patel added that the agency will use every resource to protect children. Patel described Markle Sr. as having allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence.
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. A spokesperson for Meghan and Prince Harry said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not commenting on the arrest at this time.
The arrest follows a report by The Sun newspaper published nearly two weeks ago. The British tabloid reported that Markle Sr. was under investigation for keeping abuse images at his home in the Philippines. Authorities in the country said they recovered thousands of photos featuring underage males and females. Markle Sr.'s son told police he found hundreds or thousands of images in boxes at his father's home.
Markle Sr. denied the allegations in a statement to the Daily Mail. He called the claims sick lies and said they were the worst thing anyone could accuse him of. Meghan Markle said last month that she was deeply distressed by the reports. She revealed that police informed her of disturbing allegations against her father in 2018.
