Former reality TV star Josh Duggar faces child porn charges
UPDATED: Fri., April 30, 2021
Associated Press
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Former reality TV star Josh Duggar faces charges of downloading and possessing child pornography under a federal indictment unsealed Friday.
Federal prosecutors announced the indictment a day after Duggar was arrested by U.S. Marshals in northwest Arkansas. Prosecutors said Duggar possessed the material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019.
Duggar, 33, pleaded not guilty at a hearing Friday. His attorneys said they planned to defend his case “aggressively and thoroughly.”
“In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime,” the attorneys said in a statement. “But when you’re accused, you can fight back in the courtroom – and that is exactly what Josh intends to do.”
A federal judge set a May 5 detention hearing and a July 6 trial date.
Duggar starred on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” until it was pulled from the network in 2015 over revelations Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter. Duggar’s parents said he had confessed to the fondling and apologized.
Duggar previously apologized for a pornography addiction and cheating on his wife.
If convicted, Duggar faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 on each count.
Local journalism is essential.
Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds.
Subscribe now to get breaking news alerts in your email inbox
Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens.
