Thomas Markle Sr., father of Meghan Markle, has been released after appearing for the first time in federal court in Tampa, Florida. The FBI arrested him in Florida on November 6; he faces one federal count of possessing child pornography, and the allegations have not been tested at trial.

Release comes with strict conditions

Markle returned to the assisted-living facility in Lakeland where he had been detained. His release conditions include home detention and electronic monitoring. The court also ordered him to surrender his passport, stay within designated judicial districts in Florida and California, avoid internet-enabled devices and undergo medical and psychological evaluations.

People, as cited by US media, reported that Markle entered no plea at the hearing. That means no guilty or not-guilty plea was confirmed; it does not resolve the charge. His next hearing is expected to take place in California, but no date has been announced.

What the federal complaint describes

The FBI searched two storage units in the Los Angeles area that Markle had rented since 2008. Agents seized about 78 items, including slides, film negatives and books, which investigators suspect contain child sexual abuse material.

The federal complaint describes images that allegedly show an adult man with a naked minor girl. A witness identified the man as Markle, according to the complaint. It also describes an image of a naked girl in a room resembling part of a hotel chain in the Philippines. These are allegations in the case, not findings by a court.

The potential sentence is described differently in the available accounts. The US Department of Justice says a conviction could bring up to 20 years in federal prison; North Macedonian outlet MakPress, citing DPA, reported that Markle could face at least 20 years. The case has not reached a verdict.

Reports from the Philippines and the family response

The US case followed a reported discovery in Cebu, a city in the Philippines. MakPress and Greek public broadcaster ERT reported that Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., found alleged illegal images in boxes at his father’s former home and contacted Philippine police and the FBI. Philippine authorities separately said they had recovered thousands of images featuring underage males and females.

Markle has denied the allegations. Meghan Markle said she was deeply distressed by them. She had previously said she was informed of allegations against her father, and London’s Metropolitan Police said it had not shared details in a letter about those allegations with other law-enforcement agencies at the time. The police force referred itself to Britain’s policing watchdog over its handling of the matter.

The federal investigation is continuing. Markle remains charged, not convicted, and the date of the next court hearing is still unknown.