Thomas Markle arrested and charged in federal possession case

Thomas Markle was arrested in Florida on November 6 and charged with one federal count of possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The 82-year-old, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is accused of possessing material allegedly found in two storage units in the Los Angeles area. The charge is an allegation, and the case remains under investigation. Federal agents searched the units and seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books containing suspected illegal material, prosecutors said. The federal complaint alleges that two images show an adult man identified as Markle with a nude prepubescent girl. Other images allegedly depict Markle with children in various stages of undress. Those descriptions come from prosecutors’ account of the complaint and do not establish guilt. Markle was expected to make an initial court appearance in Tampa on November 6. The reports do not establish the outcome of that appearance. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the Justice Department. The investigation followed reports that suspected material was found among...