Meghan Markle's father arrested in US over child sex abuse material

Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle Sr., was arrested Friday morning by federal agents in Florida on charges related to child abuse, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls,US federal prosecutors said.

Thomas Markle Sr. was charged with one count of possession of child sex abuse imagery, prosecutors said in a statement.

The 82-year-old was arrested outside the city of Tampa on Florida's west coast. 

The director of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, said that "Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions."

Patel said their agents "moved quickly" to identify and locate the explicit material, and then arrested Markle Sr. in Florida.

Sex abuse images discovered in storage units 

First Assistant US Attorney for central California Bill Essayli said federal agents searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area and "seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books" that contained suspected child sexual abuse images.

"Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls," said Essayli in a statement. "These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law."

If convicted, Thomas Markle Sr. would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Markle Sr. was first reported to the police in the Philippines and to the FBI last month by his son, Thomas Markle Jr, after he claimed to have found child sex abuse material at his father's home in the Philippines, according to reports by the UK newspaper The Sun.

Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry, recently said she was "deeply distressed" by allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images had been found at her father's home. 

She revealed that a letter containing "troubling allegations" about him had been sent to London police in 2018.

The FBI said last month that it would assist Philippine authorities with the case where possible.

Meghan's father famously didn't attend her wedding at Windsor Castle

Meghan, an American citizen who starred in the US television drama "Suits," married Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018.

Her father did not attend their wedding, prompting extensive coverage in the British media of Meghan's estrangement from her father.

Thomas Markle Sr., a retried television lighting and photography director, was living in the Philippines earlier this year when he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated.

That forced him to return to the US.

"I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years — but that stops now," Markle Jr. told The Sun. "I won't speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him."