Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested over allegations of possessing child s*xual abuse images.
Markle was arrested on Friday morning at a senior care
facility in Florida following allegations that surfaced earlier this year after
child s&xual abuse images were reportedly discovered at his home in the
Philippines.
He was charged with one count of possession of child
pornography.
In a statement, the US department of justice said Markle
allegedly stored child s*xual abuse images, including “explicit photographs of
himself with prepubescent girls” in two storage units in the Los Angeles area.
“A Florida man was arrested today on a federal criminal
complaint alleging he kept child s*xual abuse material (CSAM), including
s*xually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los
Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades,” the statement
reads.
Thomas Markle Jr., Meghan’s half-brother, reportedly
discovered the materials on his father’s phone and computers while cleaning out
his home and subsequently reported the findings to the police.
The discovery led authorities to two storage units in the
Los Angeles area, which Markle had reportedly rented since 2008.
Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney, said the
arrest followed the seizure of about 78 items, including slides, film negatives
and books, containing suspected child s*xual abuse images from the storage
units.
According to an FBI affidavit filed in court, some of the
images appeared to depict Markle with children.
Essayli vowed that the authorities would pursue the case
against Markle to the fullest extent permitted by federal law.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will
prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” Essayli said.
However, Markle Sr. denied the allegations, saying he is
“shocked and hurt” by his son’s claims and insisting he could never commit such
acts.
“I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is
making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused
of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of,” he said.
Markle was released on bond on Friday afternoon after
meeting the conditions for his release. He was ordered to remain under house
arrest at his care home, where he will be subject to home detention and
electronic monitoring.
He is also prohibited from travelling outside the middle
district of Florida and the central district of California.
Markle Sr. is a retired television lighting and photography
director. He was living in the Philippines when he suffered a stroke and had
his left leg amputated in 2025. The medical complications prompted his return
to the United States.
He has never established a close relationship with Meghan
and her in-laws and did not attend her wedding to Prince Harry.
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