Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, was arrested Friday on child pornography charges after federal authorities raided two storage units he allegedly rents in California.
Markle, 82, was arrested in Florida and charged in the Central District of California with possession of child pornography. According to a criminal complaint filed against him, federal authorities found explicit photos of Markle and minors in storage units in the Los Angeles area.
Two images show an adult man with a naked prepubescent girl, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. A third image depicts a naked prepubescent girl in a room that appears to be in the Philippines. A witness who has known Markle since the 1970s identified him as the man in at least two photographs with a minor, according to the complaint.
The FBI compared those images to others found in a storage unit and said some appeared to depict Markle “with children in various stages of undress,” according to the complaint.
Markle, a former Hollywood lighting director, appeared in court Friday afternoon and was released on personal recognizance. A magistrate judge also ordered him to submit to house arrest and electrical monitoring. If convicted, Markle faces up to 20 years in prison. His federal defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will pursue Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney. » said Bill Essayli in a press release.
The California charge comes as part of an investigation by Philippine authorities after Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., said he found images of child pornography in four large boxes at his father’s home in Cebu, Philippines.
According to the California criminal complaint, authorities identified the location of some of the photos in the storage unit as being in the Philippines.
Philippine authorities previously told reporters that the FBI and U.S. authorities were conducting their own investigation into the elderly Markle.
Markle Sr. previously denied the accusations, telling the Daily Mail that he was “shocked” and “hurt” by his son’s claims and that he “could never do” what he is accused of.
“That’s the worst thing anyone can accuse me of…I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”
Philippine authorities on Thursday named Markle Jr. as a person of interest in their investigation into more than 7,000 images and one video — all of underage girls and boys — recovered from digital devices allegedly belonging to the older Markle.
At a news conference in Manila, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla called the images “deplorable” and “deeply, deeply disturbing.”
The FBI began receiving witness reports about Markle Sr. last month, according to the complaint. The FBI learned that the person – identified only as Witness 1 – had signed an affidavit regarding the discovery of suspected child pornography among Markle Sr.’s possessions in the Philippines.
Witnesses later revealed that Markle Sr. had rented two storage units in California, authorities said. According to the complaint, he has rented the units since 2008 and the most recent payments for both were made automatically last month.
After obtaining search warrants, authorities seized approximately 27 items, including slides, film negatives and books, from the first unit. Agents converted some of the film negatives into color digital photos and discovered suspected child pornography, according to the complaint.
Authorities seized approximately 51 items from the second unit, including material containing suspected child pornography, according to the complaint.
Markle Sr. reportedly left the Philippines earlier this year to seek medical treatment in the United States after an emergency leg amputation. He was asked to leave a rehabilitation center in Florida after the investigation in the Philippines was announced and was moved to a nursing home, according to a report by the Sun.
In a previous statement to the Times, Meghan Markle said she was “deeply distressed” by the news. The Duchess of Sussex said she first learned of “disturbing and worrying allegations” against her father in 2018, after a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royal and Specialist Protection which was later shared with her.
“While the scale of what has been uncovered is more sickening than anyone could ever imagine, I sincerely hope that justice is fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children,” she said.
The duchess’s relationship with her father has been the subject of intense media attention since 2018, when she and Prince Harry married. Thomas Markle Sr. did not attend the wedding.
“I hope that we can now understand that, despite the distortions of some media publications over the years, any distance from my father and my choice not to allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason only: to protect them.”
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