Meghan's father Thomas Markle charged over possession of child sex abuse material
Thomas Markle, eighty-two, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been arrested in Florida and charged with one count of possession of child pornography after FBI agents seized around seventy-eight items from two Los Angeles storage units he had rented since two thousand eight.
Thomas Markle, eighty-two, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by the FBI in Florida on Friday and charged with one count of possession of child pornography, federal prosecutors have said.
The Justice Department alleges Markle kept child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two storage units in the Los Angeles area that he had rented since two thousand eight. Agents searching the units seized around seventy-eight items, including slides, thirty-five millimetre film negatives and books.
The investigation began in October after a witness reported finding suspected material among Markle's belongings in the Philippines. Agents then traced two storage units to him through rental records and mail, and obtained search warrants for both.
Markle, who lives in Lakeland, Florida, was arrested at the senior living facility where he resides and was due to make his first appearance in federal court in Tampa on Friday. He has denied the allegations. If convicted, he faces up to twenty years in federal prison. A criminal complaint contains allegations only, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Reporting based on coverage from BBC News.