In the USA, 82-year-old Thomas Markle, father of the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, has been arrested. He is charged federally with possession of child sexual abuse material. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 20 years imprisonment.

The arrest on November 6 was reported by the United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. According to the office, FBI agents arrested Markle in Florida. He faces one count of possession of prohibited materials.

According to the prosecution's version, in October law enforcement received information about alleged prohibited materials among Markle's belongings in the Philippines. Information from witnesses led to searches of two storage units in the Los Angeles area, which he had rented since 2008. FBI agents conducted the searches based on court warrants.

According to the Irish broadcaster RTÉ, on November 6 Markle appeared in court in Tampa, Florida.

Previously, Thomas Markle denied the allegations against him. As reported by Reuters citing his statement to Daily Mail, he called the allegations false.

The prosecution separately emphasized that the charging document contains allegations by the prosecution. Markle is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The indicated 20 years is the maximum statutory penalty upon conviction, not a sentence.

Sources: U.S. Department of Justice, Reuters, RTÉ.

Illustrative photo: ajay_suresh / FBI Headquarters — J. Edgar Hoover Building, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Archival photo from June 21, 2024.