Thomas Markle arrested on child pornography charge in United States

Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, was arrested on Nov. 6 in Florida on a federal charge of possessing child sexual abuse material. The FBI obtained a warrant to search two storage units in Los Angeles that he had rented since 2008, seizing about 78 items, including slides, 35mm film negatives and books containing the illegal images. A criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles alleges that at least two frames show a man identified by a witness as Markle with a nude pre-pubescent girl in poses intended to elicit a sexual response, and one image depicts the man fondling the girl's genitalia.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that Markle "allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions." If convicted, the Justice Department says he faces up to 20 years in prison. After an initial appearance before a magistrate judge in Tampa, Markle was ordered released to await trial, subject to home detention and electronic monitoring. No plea was entered, and an arraignment is expected in several weeks.

The investigation began after witnesses in the Philippines reported that Markle possessed child sexual abuse material while living there. British police previously referred the case to overseas authorities. Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for Meghan Markle did not respond to requests for comment. Markle previously denied the allegations, calling them "untrue" and "sick lies" in a media interview.