Meghan Markle's father faces federal charges

Thomas Markle Sr. was taken into custody in Lakeland, Florida, on Friday morning, facing one federal count of possession of child pornography.

The 82-year-old is the estranged father of Meghan Markle. Federal agents charged him with keeping child sexual abuse material in two storage units in the Los Angeles area. The complaint states he rented those units for nearly two decades. Investigators found approximately 78 items in the seized materials. These included slides, film negatives, and books containing suspected images. The affidavit describes photos of Markle with prepubescent girls in various stages of undress.

The arrest follows a two-week period of intense scrutiny. A British tabloid recently reported that Markle was under investigation in the Philippines. Authorities there said they recovered thousands of photos of underage males and females. Markle's son told police he found hundreds or thousands of images in boxes at his father's home. The 82-year-old denied those earlier allegations. He called them sick lies in a statement to the Daily Mail.

Bill Essayli, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, said the allegations are extremely serious. He stated the office would prosecute Markle to the fullest extent of federal law. FBI Director Kash Patel added that the agency will use every resource to protect children. Patel noted that predators will have zero safe haven in the country.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have not commented on the arrest. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said the pair are not releasing a statement at this time. Meghan previously revealed she was deeply distressed by the recent reports. She said police informed her of disturbing allegations against her father in 2018.

Markle is scheduled to appear in court in Tampa, Florida, on Friday. If he is convicted on the current charge, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.