Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, was arrested on federal child pornography charges Friday at his Florida nursing home. FBI agents took Markle into custody at Maravida Senior Living in Lakeland.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Markle with one count of possession of child abuse material. According to the prosecution, evidence allegedly found at Markle's home in the Philippines and in storage units in Los Angeles included slides, film negatives, and books containing child pornography. Some images allegedly depicted an adult man, identified as Markle, with nude prepubescent girls, and others showed Markle with children in various stages of undress.
Markle, who uses a prosthetic leg, was reportedly wearing a t-shirt featuring a cat sipping an iced coffee at the time of his arrest. He faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The Duchess of Sussex has previously stated she was "deeply distressed" by allegations against her father.