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Ex-Reality Star Josh Duggar Found Guilty Of Child Porn Charges
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Ex-Reality Star Josh Duggar Found Guilty Of Child Porn Charges

Duggar rose to fame as the eldest child on TLC’s '19 Kids and Counting', a reality TV show about his religious conservative family.

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Washington County Sheriff’s Office

Trigger Warning: This story discusses child pornography that may be disturbing to readers. 

Former reality TV star Josh Duggar has convicted by a federal jury of downloading and possessing child pornography. The jury in Fayetteville, about 140 miles northwest of Little Rock, found the 33-year-old Duggar guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography.

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He was immediately taken into custody on December 9, 2021, after the conviction, reports the Associated Press. He now faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each count when he’s sentenced.

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According to prosecutors, Duggar downloaded a Linux partition on a laptop to deceive software that monitors internet use. A Linux partition can help users divide hard drives into isolated sections. Images of sexual abuse of children, including toddlers, were downloaded in 2019 on a computer that was traced back to a car dealership owned by Duggar. In April, Duggar pleaded not guilty to the charges, although he had earlier apologized for pornography addiction. But in May 2021, a federal agent testified about the materials found on the said computer.

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It was revealed that federal authorities began investigating Duggar after a detective in the city of Little Rock discovered child pornography on a computer that was linked back to him.

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“Regardless of wealth, social status, or fame, our office will continue to seek out all individuals who seek to abuse children and victimize them through the downloading, possession, and sharing of child pornography,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes of the western district of Arkansas, which prosecuted the case.


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As for Duggar's sentencing, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks said sentencing will happen in about four months, according to KNWA.  

As expected, Duggar’s attorney argued that someone else downloaded or uploaded the images onto Duggar’s computer, but that wasn't enough to convince the judge. “We respect the jury’s verdict and we look forward to continuing this fight on appeal,” said Justin Gelfand, one of Duggar’s defense attorneys.

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Duggar rose to fame as the eldest child on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, a reality TV show about his religious conservative family. However, the show was canceled in 2015 after In Touch magazine revealed that he had allegedly molested four of his sisters and a babysitter, per BBC. At the time, Duggar acknowledged his actions and said in a statement that he "acted inexcusably" when he was an adolescent. "I hurt others, including my family and close friends," he said.

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Meanwhile, Duggar's father Jim Bob Duggar, who also starred on the reality show, is running in a special election for a vacant state Senate seat in northwestern Arkansas, and the primary election in that race is on Tuesday. He previously served in the Arkansas House.

References:

https://apnews.com/article/josh-duggar-convicted-child-pornography-26436604345361733003627af33bda78

https://www.nwahomepage.com/josh-duggar-trial/josh-duggar-found-guilty-in-child-pornography-trial/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59572669

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Washington County Sheriff’s Office