Federal agents arrested Thomas Markle Sr., 82, at a Florida senior living facility Friday on child sexual abuse material charges after the FBI seized 78 suspected items from two Los Angeles-area storage units he had rented for nearly two decades.
The criminal complaint, filed by special agent Laura Carter, states both units were registered to Markle within the Central District of California and that he had most recently made automatic payments on them last month. The former television lighting director had been renting the units since approximately 2005.
Among the materials recovered were what authorities described as sexually explicit photographs of Markle himself with prepubescent girls. One graphic image is believed to have been taken at the Anahaw Lodge in the Philippines based on background clues visible in the photograph, according to the complaint. The units also contained additional pictures showing Markle with children in various stages of undress.
FBI officials identified the man in the photographs as Markle through corroboration from individuals who have known him since the 1970s. The identification came as part of a broader investigation that accelerated after Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., 60, reported discovering alleged materials in his father’s Philippines home five months ago.
Thomas Jr. Claimed in October to have found “hundreds, if not thousands” of images depicting girls he estimated to be between 10 and 11 years old engaging in sex acts, which he turned over to authorities. At that time, Thomas Sr. Publicly denounced his son’s accusations as “sick lies.”
Samantha Markle, another of Thomas Sr.’s daughters, accused her brother of seeking “revenge” on their father. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, released a statement in October saying she felt “deeply distressed” about the initial allegations. Neither she nor Prince Harry commented when the outlet investigated Thomas Sr.’s storage unit in Mexico and reported on its contents last week, and the couple has remained silent following Friday’s arrest. Meghan’s half-siblings have also not issued statements.
Thomas Sr. Had resided in the Philippines until May, when he returned to the United States for ongoing medical care, according to Samantha. He had been living at the Maravida Senior Living care home in Lakeland, Florida, where federal agents took him into custody amid reported struggles with dementia.
The investigation has also touched on Thomas Jr. Himself. Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla named him as a person of interest during a press conference Thursday, stating that a witness had reported underage girls being brought to his house. “We have a witness [who says] underage girls were being brought to his house. We will investigate whether the son was involved in the crime,” Remulla said. “To accuse the father only is only half the police work. There are signs that point that the son is involved.” The window installer is not currently considered a suspect.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli issued a statement through the Department of Justice vowing to prosecute 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 said. “Working with our Justice Department partners, our agents moved quickly, identified and located the explicit material, and arrested Mr. Markle in Florida.”
FBI Director Kash Patel echoed those comments in his own statement shared Friday.
“This FBI will use every single resource at our disposal to protect innocent kids – any predator who targets children will have zero safe haven in this country or anywhere they try to hide.”
The case against Thomas Sr. Developed rapidly after his son’s October discovery. Thomas Jr.’s initial report to authorities triggered parallel investigations in both the Philippines and the United States, with the FBI eventually locating and searching the California-registered storage units that formed the basis of Friday’s criminal complaint.
Markle is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday at 1:30 p.m. In United States District Court in the Middle District of Florida, in Tampa.