Father of Meghan Markle arrested in California federal probe

Thomas Markle Sr., the 82-year-old father of Meghan Markle, was arrested Friday in Florida on a federal charge of possessing child pornography. The arrest followed a raid of storage units in California that authorities say belong to him.

The criminal complaint filed in the Central District of California states that federal agents found explicit photos of Markle Sr. and minors in the storage units. The FBI compared images identified by a witness to other photos found in the units. Agents said the images depicted Markle Sr. with children in various states of undress.

A witness who has known Markle Sr. since the 1970s identified him in at least two of the photos, according to the complaint. The witness recognized the man in the images as Markle Sr.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli issued a statement regarding the case. He said the allegations are extremely serious and that the office will prosecute Markle Sr. to the fullest extent of federal law.

The federal charge stems from a separate investigation by authorities in the Philippines. Thomas Markle Jr., Markle Sr.'s son, contacted the FBI after finding images of child pornography inside four large boxes at their father's home in Cebu, Philippines.

Philippine investigators recovered more than 7,000 images and a video of underage boys and girls from digital devices. The devices allegedly belonged to Markle Sr. The California complaint notes that authorities identified the location of some of the photos in the storage unit as the Philippines.

On Thursday, Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla spoke at a press conference in Manila. He described the recovered images as deplorable and deeply disturbing. Remulla also named Thomas Markle Jr. as a person of interest in the ongoing inquiry.

Markle Sr. has denied the accusations. In a previous interview with the Daily Mail, he said he was shocked and hurt by his son's claims. He stated that he could never do what he is being accused of and that he did not know why his son was trying to destroy him with lies.

Markle Sr. left the Philippines earlier this year for medical care in the United States. He required an emergency leg amputation and underwent ongoing treatment. Following news of the probe in the Philippines, he was asked to leave a rehabilitation center in Florida. He subsequently moved to a nursing home, according to reports from The Sun.

Meghan Markle said she was deeply distressed by the news. She stated that she first learned of troubling allegations against her father in 2018. A letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and later shared with her. She said her hope is that justice will be served and that the priority remains the safety of innocent children.