Meghan Markle’s father charged over alleged child abuse images found abroad

Thomas Markle Sr, Meghan Markle’s estranged father, was arrested in Florida on a federal child pornography charge after authorities were alerted to alleged caches of sexually explicit material in Mexico and the Philippines. The case has drawn attention to child sexual exploitation concerns in the places where the material was reportedly found, though there is no indication in the article that Markle took part in trafficking; he denies wrongdoing and has not entered a plea.

The article says Mexican and Philippine police were already investigating after reports of alleged stashes near Markle’s former homes in Rosarito and Cebu. A US prosecutor said material found in Los Angeles storage units included images depicting Markle with minor girls; he was released to house arrest with electronic monitoring. Rosarito, near the US border, has been described by local advocates as a high-risk area, with one group saying it rescued more than 100 girls from sexual slavery in 2021.