Thomas Markle Sr. was pictured in handcuffs after being arrested for possession of child pornin Florida on Friday.
Thomas Sr. was pictured being wheeled out of his nursing home by a female FBI agent in a newly-released image, which was originally shared by The Sun and obtained by Page Six.
The 82-year-old, who is wheelchair-bound after getting his left leg amputated last December, was dressed in a black shirt that featured a graphic of a cat drinking coffee, and black sweatpants.
Meghan Markle’s estranged father was taken into custodyat the Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland, Florida, having moved to the facility just days prior amid reported dementia struggles.
His relocation to the care home came shortly after authorities in the Philippines and Mexico confirmed that they were investigating the former lighting director for child porn offenses. On Friday, the FBI then announced that it had placed Markle under arrest.
FBI agents searched two storage units rented by Thomas Sr. in the Los Angeles area, seizing approximately 78 items, including material suspected of containing child sexual abuse imagery, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by Page Six.
The complaint alleged that Thomas Sr. appears in two images alongside an underage girl. A witness who has known Thomas Sr. since the 1970s identified him as the adult pictured, according to the filing.
The unit also contained additional pictures of Thomas Sr. with “children in various stages of undress.”
In a statement issued by the Department of Justice, First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli vowed to “prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions,” Essayli added. “Working with our Justice Department partners, our agents moved quickly, identified and located the explicit material, and arrested Mr. Markle in Florida.”
Thomas Sr. moved back to the United Statesin May for medical care after residing in the Philippines for over a year.
Last month, Thomas Sr.’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., revealed he had discovered alleged child abuse materials in his dad’s Philippines home and turned his findings over to the authorities.
Thomas Jr. claimed he have found “hundreds, if not thousands” of images — some allegedly depicting girls between the ages of 10 and 11 engaging in “sex acts” — in storage boxes.
Thomas Sr. denied his son’s allegations, calling them “sick lies.”
Samantha Markle, meanwhile, defended her father and accused her brother of a “revenge” plot.
Thomas Jr. has since been named as a person of interest in the child porn probe.
As for Meghan, she said the investigation left her “deeply disturbed” and that she was first made aware of the “troubling and disturbing” allegations in a 2018 letter that had been sent to Met Police in London.
Meghan also said that she cut Thomas Sr. out of her life to “protect” her and Prince Harry’s two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
Meghan and Harry will not address her father’s arrest, Page Six confirmed on Thursday.
The couple, who moved back to the UK in August with Archie and Lilibet, are set to take off on their first overseas trip on Nov. 10.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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