Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was taken back into federal custody on Tuesday after allegedly cutting off his ankle monitor.
First assistant U.S. attorney Bill Essayli wrote on X that the 82-year-old disabled the tracking device at 1:45 a.m., prompting an emergency hearing in federal court in Tampa, Florida.
Four days ago, a federal judge allowed Mr Markle to remain out of custody pending trial,
Essayli wrote on X. He allegedly cut the bracelet off at 1.45am last night. Release conditions are court orders, not suggestions.
Prosecutors told the judge that the ankle monitor had been cut and stabbed in an intentional effort to disable it. The U.S. Attorney stated that Markle remained agitated even with medication, leading the court to revoke his bond and remand him back into custody.
The arrest follows an FBI investigation launched after Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., reported finding suspicious files while clearing out his father’s home in Cebu City, Philippines. Law enforcement subsequently executed search warrants on two Los Angeles-area storage units rented by Markle since 2008.
Federal agents seized approximately 78 items from the storage facilities, including slides, film negatives, and books containing suspected child sexual abuse material. Court documents state that two of the recovered images depict an adult man positively identified as Markle alongside a nude young girl.
FBI Director Kash Patel addressed the case in a statement.
Mr. Markle targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions,
Director Kash Patel in a statement
Markle, who was living in a senior care facility in Lakeland, Florida, was initially taken into custody by federal agents on November 6. During his initial court appearance, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin raised concerns regarding his mental fitness to stand trial due to advanced age, a lack of recall, and his overall health condition.
The judge appointed Dr. Amie Gerodimos, a forensic psychiatrist, to conduct an independent evaluation of Markle. Dr. Gerodimos was ordered to report back to the court with a diagnosis and a determination on his mental competence by November 20.
Federal agents arrested Thomas Markle Sr. after seizing items from two Los Angeles storage units he had rented, and he faces one count of possession of child pornography carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson initially ordered Markle released on personal recognizance with home detention and electronic monitoring, restricting his travel to the Middle District of Florida and the Central District of California.
Before his arrest, Markle had been living in the Philippines, where he suffered a stroke and had his left leg amputated last year, leading him to return to the United States.
During Meghan’s childhood, her father worked as a lighting director in Los Angeles for television shows including General Hospital
and Married… With Children.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who has been estranged from her father since 2018, released a statement addressing the ongoing developments. She revealed that British police sent her a letter via the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2019 containing troubling and disturbing allegations about her father.
The Metropolitan Police admitted it never shared the details of that 2019 letter with other law enforcement agencies, prompting an investigation into the force’s conduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, married at Windsor Castle in 2018 and share two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them,
Meghan said.
Earlier coverage: Thomas Markle Arrested and Charged With Possession of Child Pornography