Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr, has reportedly been arrested in Florida over alleged child sexual abuse material.
The Daily Mail and CBS News reported that the 82-year-old was taken into FBI custody on Friday, November 6. It’s claimed that federal agents swooped in on Markle’s care home in Florida.
He has denied possessing such material and rejected his son’s allegations.
US Department of Justice releases statement on Thomas Markle arrest
The US Department of Justice has since released a statement on the arrest. It confirmed that Markle has been charged with one count of possession of child pornography.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
“The FBI and our partners have arrested Thomas Markel Sr. after an FBI investigation revealed he was in possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM),” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions. Working with our Justice Department partners, our agents moved quickly, identified and located the explicit material, and arrested Mr. Markle in Florida.
“This FBI will use every single resource at our disposal to protect innocent kids – any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide. Thank you to FBI Los Angeles, FBI Tampa, our Mexico, Manila, and Marshall Islands Law Enforcement Attaches, and our partners who executed quickly in this case.”
Markle released
However, just hours after his arrest, Markle was released under home detention and electronic monitoring.
According to PEOPLE, Markle was required to surrender his passport and was released under his own recognizance – a written promise and trust that they will return to court. However, a penalty amount is still legally attached if they fail to show up.
Meghan Markle’s statement about her father
In a statement last month, Meghan expressed distress and concern for children who may have been harmed.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said she kept her father from contact with her children to protect them.
Her statement preceded Friday’s reported arrest.
She said a letter containing allegations against her father was sent to police in 2018. According to Meghan, it was then shared with her, alongside assurances that the allegations were being investigated.
She said: “I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”
Metropolitan Police referred letter handling to watchdog
The Metropolitan Police have also faced questions over their handling of a letter raising allegations about offending overseas.
The force said it received the letter in 2019, rather than the 2018 date given by Meghan.
It said the author had framed their concerns around the duchess’ security.
However, police said the contents concerned alleged offences outside the UK. The Met said it passed the letter to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
After reviewing its handling, the force made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. That referral covered its decision not to alert other law enforcement agencies and its decision to share the letter.
The watchdog has said it will investigate.
Thomas Markle previously denied his son’s allegations
Speaking to The Sun on October 22, Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jr claimed he found child abuse material among his father’s belongings.
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He said he alerted authorities. Thomas Sr denied the allegations in an interview published the following day.
He told the Daily Mail: “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. This is [bleep]. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick.”
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