Meghan Markle’s estranged father arrested after child abuse material investigation

Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by federal agents in Florida on Friday. He faces a charge of possessing child sexual abuse material following an FBI investigation into two rented storage units in the Los Angeles area that he had held for nearly 20 years. According to Free Malaysia Today and the New Straits Times, the material allegedly includes photographs of Markle with naked or prepubescent girls.

Federal agents reportedly seized approximately 78 items from the units, including books, film negatives, and slides.

The New Straits Times reports that FBI Director Kash Patel stated Markle was taken into custody at a nursing home in Lakeland, Florida. During an initial court appearance in Tampa, Markle, who used a wheelchair, did not enter a plea. A judge ordered him to be released pending trial under conditions of electronic monitoring and home detention at his assisted living facility.

The Justice Department stated that if convicted, Markle could face up to 20 years in prison. While a joint statement from the DoJ and the US Attorney’s Office noted that an arraignment date in California will be determined in due course, no plea was taken during the 30-minute hearing, which MyJoyOnline Ghana reported was conducted by federal prosecutor Courtenay Derry.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euro Weekly News, New Straits Times, MyJoyOnline Ghana, Free Malaysia Today, The Age — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.