Josh Duggar, of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for collecting child por**ography. Duggar was found guilty by a jury in December 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and was sentenced on Wednesday. Josh Duggar was sentenced to 151 months in jail and 20 years of probation. He’ll serve his sentence in either Seagoville, Texas, or Texarkana, Texas, both of which have s*x offender treatment programs.
He will be compelled to register as an s** offender and engage in a treatment program for the next 20 years, he will not be allowed to use an internet device without prior clearance, and he will be barred from having unsupervised contact with minors, including his own. He will also be compelled to comply with any DNA collection demands and will be prohibited from ingesting marijuana.
Josh Duggar’s arrest
When Josh Duggar, 34, learned of his destiny, he had no emotion. Anna and Jim Bob Duggar did not seem to be impacted either. Prosecutors stated in the pre-sentencing document that Duggar had a “deep-seated, pervasive, and aggressive s**ual interest in minors.” During the sentencing hearing, his defense team presented more than 20 objections to the report.
In April 2021, Josh Duggar was arrested when a detective in Little Rock, Arkansas, uncovered child porn files exchanged via a computer tracked back to him. Investigators believe Duggar transferred the photographs, which showed children, onto a computer at a car dealership he operated in 2019. TLC terminated the Duggar family’s TLC program in 2015 after claims that Josh, the eldest Duggar kid, had mistreated four of his sisters and a caregiver. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar said their son apologized for his actions, but he was forced to confront them again when the allegations surfaced again.
He subsequently strayed on his wife and publicly apologized, but months later acknowledged having a p****graphy addiction. He successfully finished an addiction treatment program. Authorities were aware of his alleged abuse in 2006 after receiving a report from a Duggar family associate but ruled that the period of limitations on any prospective prosecution had expired.
He resigned as a lobbyist for the conservative Christian organization Family Research Council after publicly apologizing for unspecified actions. In a letter dated March 7, Anna implored the court to have mercy on her husband so that she may “consider rejoining us as a family again soon.” Anna and Duggar have seven children together.
The jury ultimately agreed with the prosecution and found Duggar guilty. The prosecution said it was “very pleased” with the judgment, calling it an “important milestone” that shows “no one is above the law, regardless of their rank or reputation.”
“We intend to appeal at the right moment,” said Duggar’s attorney, Justin Gelfand.
