Thomas Markle charged in federal court with possessing child sexual abuse material
Seven Lights
Thomas Wayne Markle, the 82-year-old father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested Friday morning by United States federal agents at a senior care facility in Polk County, Florida, and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said.
Agents took Mr. Markle, a resident of Lakeland, Florida, from the facility where he lived. Video showed him in a wheelchair and handcuffs as an ambulance carried him under federal escort. He appeared later that day before a US magistrate judge in Tampa and was ordered released to await trial on condition that he submit to home detention and electronic monitoring. He entered no plea. Prosecutors said an arraignment was not expected for several weeks, and it was unclear when he might be transferred to California, where the charge lies.
The criminal complaint rests on material prosecutors say he kept for nearly two decades in two storage units in the Los Angeles area. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said agents seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, containing suspected child sexual abuse images. An FBI affidavit filed in court said some images appeared to depict Mr. Markle himself with prepubescent girls.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” Mr. Essayli said. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau’s investigation showed Mr. Markle was in possession of the material.
The allegations were first made public last month and have prompted police inquiries in several countries. Mr. Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., said on Oct. 23 that he had alerted police in the Philippines after finding a collection of child sexual abuse images at their father’s home. Mr. Markle earlier denied the allegations.
Mr. Markle lived in Mexico until 2025 and in the Philippines until earlier this year. He returned to the United States in May after a medical procedure. Attempts to reach his court-appointed lawyer were not immediately returned.
A trial in the Central District of California would follow the Tampa release proceedings. The charges carry a potential federal prison term; prosecutors have not disclosed the sentencing range sought.