Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, had his pretrial release revoked after cutting off an ankle monitor while he was awaiting trial on charges of possession of child sexual abuse materials, according to court documents.
Markle was arrested Friday after officials found child sexual abuse images in storage units belonging to him in California, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with minors, the Justice Department said. He was taken into custody in Tampa, Florida, where he was released under house arrest.
He cut off his ankle monitor at 1:45 a.m. Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli alleged.
“We are asking the court to revoke his release and detain him pending trial, and we will continue to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law,” Essayli said.
A federal judge ordered Tuesday afternoon that Markle remain in custody after violating the conditions of his release. An attorney for Markle in court records did not immediately reply to a request for comment Tuesday.
FBI investigators found slides, film negatives and books that included “suspected child pornography” in two storage units Markle rented in Los Angeles, according to court documents. The film negatives included images of naked “pre-pubescent” girls with an adult male, whom a witness positively identified as Markle, the FBI said.
One unit had mail bearing the name “Thomas Markle” and an international driver’s permit with his name and birth date and a photo appearing to be of him, according to a criminal complaint. Markle’s storage rentals date as far back as the summer of 2008, the complaint said.
The seizure last week came weeks after news emerged that an investigation had been opened into Markle in the Philippines over allegations that he kept similar images at his home while he was living there. Thousands of photos featuring “underage male and females” were recovered, authorities said.
Markle has been living in a senior care facility in Florida, according to The Associated Press. He was reported to have been forced to return to the U.S. after having lived in the Philippines after he sustained a stroke and a leg was amputated.
A judge ordered an independent psychological evaluation to determine whether Markle was fit to stand trial. The order noted Markle’s health, age and lack of recall as reasonable cause to believe he may have some mental “disease or defect” that would render him mentally incompetent.
Markle has denied the allegations, describing them as “sick lies.”
A spokesperson for Meghan and Prince Harry declined to comment on the arrest last week.
Last month, Meghan revealed that she was made aware of allegations against her father years ago. She said in a statement that she was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations and that their relationship has been limited over the years.
He did not attend her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, which was the subject of widespread media scrutiny.
Meghan said she has also chosen to keep her children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, away from her father for their protection.
“The breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine,” she said.
British police confirmed that Meghan was passed a letter in January 2019 that included “a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom.” London’s Metropolitan Police referred itself to the country’s policing watchdog over the handling of the allegations, saying it had not informed other law enforcement agencies of the allegations.