Thomas Markle Sr. Charged with Possession of Child Sex Abuse Material
The 82-year-old father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested and charged with possession of child sexual abuse material after items were found in storage units in Los Angeles.
Thomas Wayne Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested on a federal charge of possessing child sexual abuse material after investigators found alleged images and videos in two Los Angeles storage units he rented. He appeared before a federal court in Tampa, where a bail arrangement was made allowing his release to a residence in Florida or California, the jurisdiction where the charges were filed.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the seizure included 78 items—slides, film negatives and books—containing suspected material, and described photographs that allegedly show Markle with pre-pubescent girls. First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated, "Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls. These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."
According to the Attorney-General’s office of Baja California, Mexico, magazines and VHS tapes alleged to contain child pornography were also discovered in one of the units. Federal agents took Markle into custody at a senior living facility in Lakeland, Florida, and he was transported in a wheelchair to an ambulance.
Meghan Markle has said she is "deeply distressed" by the allegations and confirmed she has barred her father from contact with her and her children. A spokesperson noted that she learned of the investigation through a letter forwarded to London’s Metropolitan Police.
Markle has denied the accusations, calling them "a bunch of lies" in statements to British tabloids and claiming any illicit material on his devices would have been placed there by someone else. He also said he has not owned a computer or phone for nearly two years.
Authorities in the Philippines are conducting a separate investigation after Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., reported finding additional images at their former home in Cebu. The Philippine Interior Minister described the case as under investigation, noting that Markle Jr. is currently a person of interest but not a suspect.