Josh Duggar has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for downloading and possessing child pornography.
The 31-year-old former "19 Kids and Counting" actor was sentenced Wednesday to 151 months in prison, as well an additional 20 years of supervision by a parole officer once he is released, according to People. The order was passed down by U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks of the Western District of Arkansas Federal Court in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Duggar was arrested in April 2021, shortly after his wife, Anna, announced she was expecting their seventh child. In December that year, he was found guilty of two charges of knowingly receiving and possessing child pornography, People noted.
Duggar was facing up to 20 years of imprisonment and up to $250,000 in fines, but Wednesday, in handing down the sentence, Brooks noted that possession is a lesser included offense of the receipt of child pornography and Duggar did not knowingly distribute pornography.
"We're grateful the judge dismissed Count 2 and rejected the government's request for a 240-month sentence," Duggar's lawyer Justin K. Gelfand, who has maintained his client's innocence, said in a statement to USA Today. "We look forward to continuing the fight on appeal."
After the sentencing, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas David Clay Fowlkes issued a statement.
"This isn't the sentence we asked for, but it is a sentence we're proud of," he said, according to People, adding he hopes the trial sends a message to the victims of child pornography that their pain is acknowledged and "real."
"And we will do everything within our power to make sure justice is served," he said.
Duggar's cousin, Amy Duggar King, spoke out about his sentencing saying 12 ½ years was not enough time behind bars for Duggar.
"I knew him getting the maximum sentence wasn't going to be the easiest to prove since it's his first offense in the judge's eyes — which I hate — but at the same time, he cannot have his computer, he cannot hurt, exploit any more children, and when he sees his kids, he has to be supervised," she said in an Instagram video. "And honestly, where he's going, I feel like the prisoners are just gonna take care of him."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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