---
title: "Thomas Markle Charged in Federal Child Abuse Material Case"
url: https://www.herewashingtondc.com/2026/11/07/thomas-markle-charged-federal-child-abuse-material-case/
date: 2026-11-07T08:50:41-05:00
modified: 2026-11-07T08:50:41-05:00
author: "HERE City National Desk"
categories: ["Crime", "National"]
site: "HERE Washington DC"
attribution: "HERE Washington DC"
---

# Thomas Markle Charged in Federal Child Abuse Material Case

> TAMPA, Fla. — Federal agents on Friday arrested Thomas Markle Sr., 82, whose daughter is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on a federal complaint charging him with one count of possessing child pornography, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles said. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, which brought the case, said FBI agents with court-approved warrants

*Source: [HERE Washington DC](https://www.herewashingtondc.com/2026/11/07/thomas-markle-charged-federal-child-abuse-material-case/) — November 7, 2026 by HERE City National Desk*

*From the HERE City National Desk*

TAMPA, Fla. — Federal agents on Friday arrested Thomas Markle Sr., 82, whose daughter is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on a federal complaint charging him with one count of possessing child pornography, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, which brought the case, said FBI agents with court-approved warrants searched two Los Angeles-area storage units Markle has rented since 2008 and seized about 78 items, among them slides, film negatives and books holding suspected abuse images.

Markle, of Lakeland, Florida, appeared Friday in federal court in Tampa. A magistrate judge released him on his own recognizance with home detention and electronic monitoring, and barred travel outside the federal court districts covering central Florida and central California. No plea was entered, and no date has been set for arraignment in California.

A criminal complaint is only an allegation, and Markle is presumed innocent. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.