Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan Markle, was arrested Friday in Florida on a federal charge involving child sexual abuse materials, according to the Associated Press.
Markle, 82, was taken into custody at a senior care facility near Tampa on Nov. 6.
Photos published by the Daily Mail showed FBI agents escorting the octogenarian out of the facility as he sat in a wheelchair.
The arrest came after federal agents searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area that Markle has reportedly rented since 2008.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said investigators “seized approximately 78 items, including slides, film negatives, and books,” which allegedly contained child sexual abuse images.
An FBI affidavit obtained by the AP alleged some of the images appeared “to depict” Markle with children.
“These allegations are extremely serious, and we will prosecute Mr. Markle to the fullest extent of federal law,” Essayli said.
Markle is charged with possessing child sexual abuse materials, authorities said.
The former Hollywood lighting director appeared in court Friday and was released on bond. He was placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring.
His court-appointed attorney did not respond to the AP‘s request for comment.
Markle’s arrest came two weeks after a report in British tabloid The Sun said his son, Thomas Markle Jr., discovered child sexual abuse materials at his father’s home in the Philippines and alerted authorities.
Philippine Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty confirmed to multiple news outlets on Oct. 23, that a task force specializing in human trafficking and online child exploitation had launched an investigation.
In October, Markle told the Daily Mail the allegations were “sick lies.”
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex said she was troubled by the allegations.
“I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” she said last month.
She added that a letter containing allegations against her father was sent to London authorities in 2018, who then shared it with her.
“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” she added.
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