Thomas Markle Sr. charged in federal child sexual abuse material case

As of 10:28 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Thomas Markle Sr., the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is under home detention with electronic monitoring in Florida after federal prosecutors charged him with one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. He has not entered a plea, and a criminal complaint is an allegation, not a finding of guilt.

Markle was arrested Friday in Florida on a federal criminal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Reuters reported. The Justice Department said the complaint accuses him of keeping child sexual abuse material in two Los Angeles-area storage units he had rented for nearly two decades, CBS News reported.

If convicted, he would face a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison, the Justice Department said, according to CBS News and Reuters.

Released to home detention

Markle made his initial appearance Friday before a U.S. magistrate judge in federal court in Tampa. He was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair, escorted by two U.S. Marshals, the BBC reported, citing its U.S. partner CBS News.

The judge released him on personal recognizance and ordered home detention and electronic monitoring, CBS News reported. He may not travel outside the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California, where the charge was filed. ITV News reported that the judge also barred contact with minors and the use of internet-connected devices, and that he will undergo a psychiatric evaluation before the case moves forward.

No plea was taken. His arraignment in California had not been scheduled and likely will not happen for at least several weeks, according to a joint statement from the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, as reported by CBS News and Reuters. Prosecutors said they had not decided whether he will stay in Florida or be transferred to California, CBS reported. Reuters said Markle's defense lawyer was not immediately known.

What prosecutors say

According to an FBI affidavit filed with the complaint, agents searched the two storage units, rented since 2008, after obtaining a warrant and seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books that investigators allege contain child sexual abuse material, Reuters and CBS News reported. The FBI opened its investigation in October after a witness reported finding suspected material among Markle's possessions in the Philippines, Reuters reported.

"These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law," Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement quoted by CBS News. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that Markle "allegedly targeted innocent children."

Markle denied the allegations when they surfaced in October, calling them "sick lies," CBS News and the BBC reported. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had not commented on the arrest, the BBC reported.

Inquiries abroad

The federal case follows inquiries in other countries. Philippine authorities are expected to pursue their own criminal case, ITV News reported Saturday, saying a case could be lodged as early as Monday. On Monday, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said investigators were examining Markle's associates, activities and personal effects, GMA News reported. No Philippine charge had been reported filed as of Monday evening.

Prosecutors in Mexico's Baja California state searched a storage unit Markle had rented there in late October, as GROKsiNEWS.com reported Nov. 3.