Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, of Lakeland was arrested Friday on a federal complaint charging one count of possessing child sexual abuse material. He is presumed innocent.

Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, of Lakeland, was arrested Friday on a federal criminal complaint. He is charged with one count of possession of child pornography. That is all in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California release on the arrest.

A criminal complaint contains only allegations. The Justice Department’s release says all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Markle is the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as widely documented. The Justice Department’s release does not mention her.

What the complaint alleges

The case was brought in Los Angeles, not in Florida. The release says Markle is accused of keeping child sexual abuse material in two storage units in the Los Angeles area. According to the release, he had rented both units since 2008, and the most recent payments on both were made last month by auto-pay.

The release, citing an affidavit filed with the complaint, says:

  • In October 2026, law enforcement learned that a person had signed an affidavit about finding suspected child sexual abuse material among Markle’s possessions in the Philippines.
  • A second person told investigators that Markle rented a storage unit in the Los Angeles area. Information from the first person later led agents to a second unit.
  • FBI agents searched both units under court-authorized warrants.
  • Agents seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, that the release says contained suspected child sexual abuse material.

The release says some of the photographs show a man a witness identified as Markle with young girls. We are not repeating the further detail it gives.

If convicted, Markle would face a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison, the release says.

Where the case goes next

The Justice Department said Markle was expected to make his first court appearance Friday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa. That is the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse, about 35 miles west of Lakeland by Interstate 4.

The FBI is investigating. The release names FBI Los Angeles and FBI Tampa among the agencies involved. It does not name the Lakeland Police Department or the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Three assistant U.S. attorneys in Los Angeles are prosecuting the case, according to the release.

What officials said

“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in the release.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in the release that agents “identified and located the explicit material, and arrested Mr. Markle in Florida.”

What it means for you

  • No charge has been proven. Markle is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court.
  • The FBI asked anyone with information about the exploitation of children to contact local law enforcement or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Tips can also be sent online through the FBI’s tip form.
  • In an emergency, call 911.

We will update this page from the Justice Department’s own releases as the case moves. Weekly local arrests and calls are on our Police and Fire log.

An arrest or charge is an accusation. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court. To ask for an update or correction to this page, use our removal and update route.