The Federal Bureau of Investigation intends to prosecute Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., after his arrest for possession of child pornography.
“Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions,” FBI director Kash Patel said in a Friday, November 6, statement. “Working with our Justice Department partners, our agents moved quickly, identified and located the explicit material and arrested Mr. Markle.”
Thomas, 82, was arrested by the FBI in Florida earlier on Friday.
“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,” Patel, 46, continued. “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.”
Thomas Sr.’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., claimed last month that he found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in boxes at his father’s home in the Philippines and alerted authorities. Thomas Sr. has vehemently denied the “sick” accusations.
“I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me,” Thomas Sr. told the Daily Mail in an October statement. “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. This is bulls***. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”
As Thomas Sr. no longer lives in the Philippines, the FBI investigated his possessions stored inside two storage units in California.
“Mr. Markle is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material, including photographs depicting himself with minor girls,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law.”
Thomas Sr., who has not publicly addressed his arrest, is scheduled to make his first court appearance later on Friday.
In addition to Thomas Jr., 60, the former TV lighting designer is the father of daughters Samantha, 61, and Meghan, 45. The Duchess of Sussex has been estranged from Thomas Sr. since 2018.
“I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” Meghan told Us in a statement last month. “In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.”
Meghan continued, “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them. I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
