Thomas Markle Sr., Meghan's father, arrested in Florida
It was reported in October that Meghan's estranged father, Thomas Markle, was under investigation by authorities in the Philippines for alleged possession of child sexual abuse materials.
Key points
- Thomas Markle Sr., Meghan's father, was arrested in Florida on Friday over child sex abuse material allegations.
- The FBI seized 78 items from two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented since 2008.
- Meghan said she has known of the allegations since 2018 and cut off contact to protect her children.
Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested in Florida on Friday over allegations that he possessed child sex abuse materials, the Justice Department said. Three sources familiar with the matter confirmed the arrest to CBS News.
The Justice Department said Markle allegedly kept the material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units he rented for nearly two decades. He is due for an initial court appearance Friday in Tampa, Florida.
What investigators found
An affidavit filed in federal court says the investigation in the Philippines led law enforcement to the two storage units, which Markle had rented since 2008. FBI agents seized 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected child sexual abuse materials.
The affidavit says two images allegedly show an adult man, identified by a witness as Markle Sr., with a nude prepubescent girl. Another allegedly shows a nude prepubescent girl in a room that appears to be part of a motel chain in the Philippines. If convicted, Markle faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.
— Bill Essayli
Meghan responds to arrest
Meghan, who recently moved back to Britain with Prince Harry and their children, said she had known of the allegations since 2018 and that they were shared with U.K. authorities at the time. She said that information led her and Harry to cut her father off from contact with their children.
Markle has denied the claims, calling them "sick lies," and told the Daily Mail he had never downloaded anything like that. A Philippine National Police spokesperson said the investigation began after Markle's personal items were turned over by his son, Thomas Markle Jr.
