Meghan Markle's estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., is already out of custody ... he was released on bond just hours after his arrest in Florida on a federal child pornography charge.
The 82-year-old appeared in federal court in Tampa on Friday afternoon ... and he did not enter a plea, according to People.
Thomas was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair, wearing a black T-shirt featuring a cat drinking iced coffee ... and was later released on bond ... heading back to the assisted living facility where the FBI arrested him earlier that day.
Thomas Markle Sr.'s son Thomas Jr. has been named a person of interest in the investigation into his father's alleged child porn possession ... Philippine officials revealed.
In a press conference Thursday ... Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said ... "We have a witness [who says] underage girls were being brought to his house. We will investigate whether the son was involved in the crime."
Remulla added ... "To accuse the father only is only half the police work. There are signs that point that the son is involved in the crime as well but only as a person of interest so far."
"90 Day Fiancé" star Michael Eloshway wants his child pornography conviction thrown out ... but federal prosecutors aren't buying his argument that his lawyer botched the case.
According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, the government is pushing back hard against Eloshway's attempt to overturn his conviction and 121-month prison sentence ... arguing his attorney didn't botch his defense and there's no reason to give the reality star another shot.
Eloshway claims his lawyer should've hired a computer expert to examine the evidence against him ... but prosecutors say he hasn't explained what an expert would've uncovered that could've changed the outcome.
Chris Rock is diving into his faults as a husband ... namely, an overreliance on porn ... admitting he used to watch it all the time to the detriment of his marriage.
The comedian discussed the taboo subject during his interview for GQ's Men of the Year issue ... pulling back the curtain on his marriage to Malaak Compton-Rock -- which ended back in 2016.
Chris said, "I was not a great husband. I watched a lot of porn. I don't watch porn anymore. I haven't watched porn in five, six years.”
A storage unit rented by Thomas Markle Sr. was raided by authorities ... just hours after a published report that it allegedly contained child pornography.
Mexican police officers -- who identified themselves as sex crimes investigators -- could be seen rifling through the stacks that contained allegedly illicit material ... the Daily Mail reported.
At one point, one of the officers is said to have exclaimed ... "Ay cabron!"
The raid took place early Saturday morning, with Guardia Nacional officers taking a computer, thumb drives, VHS tapes and several magazines ... this according to The Mail.
Police have released footage of several boxes of items seized from Thomas Markle Sr.'s home as part of their investigation into allegations that he possessed child sexual abuse material.
Cebu City law enforcement obtained cell phones, hard drives, computers, and a camera from his home in the Philippines ... and they got a warrant permitting them to perform a forensic examination.
Thomas has vehemently denied possessing any child abuse material.
Child pornography was allegedly found inside a storage unit that Thomas Markle Sr. rented in Mexico ... according to a new bombshell report.
The Daily Mail claims they inspected the storage unit in Rosarito -- a beach town near the U.S. border -- and found magazines featuring child sexual abuse images, voyeuristic photos of children on beaches, and books about pedophilia.
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Thomas Sr. previously denied claims of possessing child porn and an investigation in the Philippines. His items recently seized in the Philippines were searched in a video released Friday.
Adult content creator Lily Phillips is plotting to pull off a frisky feat ... sleeping with 10,000 men in 24 hours ... but there's a huge twist.
According to Page Six, she plans on getting a little help from A.I. -- she created a digital doppelganger to help her rack up the enormous body count.
The outlet says the realistic replica -- named Lily A.I. -- is continuously updated via real-time data, and fans can virtually get down and dirty with her for $9.99.
Meghan Markle's niece Noelle Rasmussen says something always felt off about her grandfather Thomas Markle Sr. ... and she finds the child porn allegations made against him unsurprising.
Noelle told The Telegraph ... "Maybe it was a vibe that I subconsciously got … something’s not right about a person, and you don't actively register it. But your body tells you when something's off."
She went on to say ... "It doesn't surprise me. The more and more I think about it, it just doesn't … I don't know why it's not a surprise."
Meghan Markle's friend is speaking out about her state of mind after the shocking child porn allegations made against her father, Thomas Markle Sr. ... saying she feels a "real sense of relief" over the investigation.
A friend of the Duchess -- who reportedly gave her blessing to her pal to speak on the matter -- told The Sun ... "As a mum of young children herself, she is utterly devastated by all of this. Above all, her thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed. Their welfare and protection have to come first."
The pal added ... "After so many years of living with deeply troubling concerns, there is also a real sense of relief that these matters are now being properly investigated."
Meghan Markle said police had shared a disturbing letter with her in 2018 about allegations against her father, Thomas Markle Sr. ... but Metropolitan police say they never investigated him.
A Met spokesperson told Page Six is "aware of media reports" that their Royalty and Specialist Protection Command passed along the letter to Meghan, but they're "undertaking inquiries internally in an effort to confirm this."
Essentially, they seem to be saying they're just looking into the letter nowbecause they didn't know about it.
The FBI has offered its support to Philippine officials investigating Thomas Markle Sr.'s alleged possession of child pornography ... TMZ has learned.
An official with the FBI tells TMZ ... "The FBI is aware of the allegations and will provide support, as appropriate, to the Philippine authorities. We will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law."
Meghan Markle's half sister Samantha Markle is pushing back against the extremely troubling child porn allegations made against their father Thomas Markle Sr. ... claiming her brother Thomas Markle Jr. fabricated the claims for revenge and a quick payday.
Samantha told the Daily Mail ... "There is no merit in these disgusting allegations whatsoever and my brother is disgusting for making them up. He wants to destroy our dad. Shame on him."
She added ... "My brother first came out with these lies a few weeks ago when the cash from my dad was cut off. He has used dad as a cash cow for years and once the money stopped he made up the most outrageous lies he could to try and make money from the media."
Meghan Markle's estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., is vehemently denying claims that he possessed child pornography ... after his son Thomas Jr. said he found "hundreds, if not thousands" of graphic and disturbing images at his dad's home in the Philippines.
Thomas Sr. told the Daily Mail ... "I'm shocked, I'm hurt and I'm very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I'm being accused of. It's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of."
He added ... "This is bulls***. It's just a bunch of lies. It's sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies."
Meghan Markle is speaking out after her father, Thomas Markle Sr., has been placed under investigation for allegedly possessing "hundreds, if not thousands" of child porn images in the Philippines.
In a statement ... the Duchess of Sussex said ... "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 added ... "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."
Meghan Markle's father,Thomas Markle Sr., is under criminal investigation by a child protection unit after his son, Thomas Jr., allegedly found a massive stash of child porn at his dad's home in the Philippines, TMZ has learned.
A spokesperson for the Cebu City Police Office in the Philippines tells TMZ... "There is a specific unit assigned to that case: Women and Children Protection Center. The rep added that there's a "criminal investigation" underway and "this case is confidential."
The Sun published an article this week stating that Thomas Jr. found “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sex abuse images in four large boxes at his father’s residence in the city of Cebu.
