Josh Duggar Found Guilty in Child Pornography Case

“19 Kids and Counting” alum could face up to 40 years in prison

Josh Duggar Booking Photo
Washington County Sheriff’s Office

Josh Duggar was found guilty on the final day of his child pornography trial Thursday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, according to Fayetteville’s KNWA.

The alum of TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” a show about a large family with conservative, Christian values, has been charged with one count of downloading and one count of possessing child pornography. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count, so a total of 40 years in prison and a maximum $500,000 fine, when sentenced in approximately four months, per KNWA.

Duggar, 33, was arrested on charges of possession of child pornography in April. In May, a federal agent testified that in 2019, images that showed children, including toddlers, being sexually abused, were downloaded onto a computer at a car dealership owned by Josh Duggar.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

The trial for Duggar’s case, which began Nov. 30 after originally being scheduled for July and postponed, included testimony from several Duggar family members.

Duggar was taken into custody after the verdict was announced. His attorneys said in a statement obtained by TheWrap, “We appreciate the jury’s lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury’s verdict, and we intend to appeal.”

Duggar was one of the many stars of TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” for nearly a decade. The show, which chronicled the lives of parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their many offspring, was canceled in 2015 after Josh admitted to having sexually abused five teenage girls when he was a teenager. Two of his sisters, Jessa and Jill Duggar, later came forward as two of his victims.

TLC canceled “Counting On,” a spinoff of “19 Kids and Counting” that focused on the families of Duggar sisters Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo and Joy-Anna Forsyth, as well as their parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, in June, following Josh Duggar’s arrest in April. “Counting On” debuted in December 2015 and ran for 11 seasons.

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