Meghan Markle's father arrested in Florida for possessing images of child sexual abuse

(Central News Agency, Washington, 6th Comprehensive Foreign Report) Meghan Markle, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested today on charges of possessing child sexual abuse materials, including photos of him with naked underage girls. The images were seized from a warehouse he rented in California.

Reuters reported that FBI Director Kash Patel said that Thomas Markle, the 82-year-old father-in-law of Prince Harry, has been arrested by federal agents in Florida. According to the British "Daily Mail" (Daily Mail), the elder Markle relied on a wheelchair and was a patient in a nursing home at the time.

"Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and attempted to take away their innocence through his criminal conduct," Barthel said in a statement.

According to a criminal complaint filed today in federal district court in Los Angeles, Markle was charged with one count of "possession of child pornography." The U.S. Department of Justice pointed out that if convicted, Markle could face up to 20 years in prison.

Markle, who lives in Lakeland, Florida, made his first court appearance before a federal magistrate judge in nearby Tampa, the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. The judge ruled that he should be released on bail pending trial, subject to home confinement and electronic monitoring.

According to an FBI affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, Markle stored the sexually explicit materials involved in two Los Angeles storage spaces that he had rented since 2008 and that agents conducted searches last week after obtaining search warrants. According to the affidavit, agents seized approximately 78 items, including slides, 35mm film negatives and books containing images of child sexual abuse.