Reality TV star Josh Duggar found guilty on child pornography charges
Fayetteville, Arkansas – Former reality TV star Josh Duggar was found guilty by a federal jury on two charges of knowingly receiving and possessing child pornography.
The conviction comes after a nearly two-week trial that saw Duggar's wife, Anna Duggar, and other family members supporting the 33-year-old in the front row of the courthouse each day.
Duggar now faces a 20-year prison sentence and up to $250,000 in fines for each count he was found guilty of.
Sentencing is expected in four months, though US District Judge Timothy Brooks – who presided over the trial – has not yet set a specific date.
Following the verdict, Duggar was ushered out of the courtroom in handcuffs after briefly speaking with his wife, looking more distraught by the second.
When speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, AP News reported that US Homeland Security's resident agent-in-charge, Billy Riggins, said, "A child predator has been brought to justice."
Speaking about his client's guilty verdict and what the future holds, Justin Gelfand, one of Duggar's defense attorneys, told AP News, “We respect the jury’s verdict, and we look forward to continuing this fight on appeal."
In April, Duggar was arrested by US state marshals and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography.
According to a news release from the Western District of Arkansas, the former reality star, "Allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material. [He] possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, all in May 2019."
The 19 Kids and Counting star's run-ins with law enforcement date back to 2015, when he was accused of molesting underage girls, including his sisters, at the age of 14.
In 2019, the used car dealership that Duggar worked at was raided by the federal government as part of its years-long investigation into the former reality star.
Duggar's case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative created in 2006 by the Department of Justice, which aims to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO/MediaPunch