Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested Friday on a child pornography charge, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California.
The FBI raided two Los Angeles-area storage units that Markle had rented since 2008 after receiving notice that child sexual abuse materials had been found among Markle’s belongings in the Philippines, the office said in a statement Friday.
Federal agents seized 78 items from the California storage units, including slides, film negatives and books that contained suspected child sexual abuse material. At least two of the images seized featured Markle with minor victims, according to the office.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
Markle, 82, was arrested at his home in Lakeland, Florida, and made his first court appearance Friday in federal court in Tampa. Shortly afterward, he was released on bond. If convicted, Markle could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
A lawyer for Markle did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Representatives for Meghan declined to comment.
Markle’s arrest was first reported by the Daily Mail. The British tabloid also reported last week that child pornography had been found in a storage unit Markle had previously rented in Mexico.
“This FBI will use every single resource at our disposal to protect innocent kids — any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement Friday.
Meghan said last month that she had been informed of “disturbing allegations” about her estranged father in 2018 and had not allowed him any contact with her children to “protect them.”
Meghan’s relationship with her father broke down in the lead-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, and her relationship with her father attracted intense tabloid interest. Her father did not attend the wedding.
Jeremy Roebuck and Victoria Craw contributed to this report.
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