Share this @internewscast.com

Embattled reality star Josh Duggar has been arrested and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas announced Friday.

Duggar, of “19 Kids And Counting” fame, is accused of using the internet to download the illegal content, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under age 12. If convicted, he will face up to 20 years in prison as well as fines up to $250,000 on each count. 

He appeared before Judge Erin Wiedemann via Zoom on Friday morning, a day after news of his arrest broke, and pleaded not guilty. 

Duggar, 33, has been in the public eye since his family’s show premiered on TLC in 2008, and has previously faced accusations that he molested girls when he was a teen. In 2015, media outlets obtained copies of a police report revealing that, years earlier, his father told Arkansas State Police that Duggar had molested five girls, four of whom were his sisters, while they were sleeping. 

Duggar subsequently resigned his position at the Family Research Council, which is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and said he “acted inexcusably” as a teen.

The FRC is known for its strong opposition to LGBTQ+ rights and same-sex marriage, claiming they’re a threat to the institution of marriage.

A 2015 breach of the dating site Ashley Madison exposed Duggar for using the website to cheat on his wife. “I have been the biggest hypocrite ever,” he admitted following the breach. 

In the wake of the molestation reports, TLC canceled his family’s show, which followed the large and devout Baptist family in Tontitown, Arkansas. It often highlighted their controversial religious teachings, which included strong patriarchal beliefs. It also starred Duggar’s father, Jim Bob Duggar, who served as a Republican in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002, and his mother, Michelle Duggar, who famously recorded a transphobic robocall in 2014. 

Source: huffpost

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Judicial Ruling Halts Trump’s Asylum Ban, Cites Scalia’s Opinion

Donald Trump addresses the Road to Majority conference in Washington, DC, on…

Is It Fair to Restrict Men from Working in Childcare Roles?

There are calls for men to be banned from working in childcare…

Florida Teen Threatens to Open Fire at McDonald’s in Dispute Over Missing McNuggets

A Florida teen was arrested after he threatened to shoot up a…

Man Fires at Garbage Truck Following Wawa Dispute: Police Report

Background: The Wawa location in Zephyrhills, Fla. (Google Maps). Inset: Quinson Croson…

Texas Mom Charged After Leaving 9-Year-Old in Hot Car During Work; 13th Child Heatstroke Incident of the Year

A Texas woman allegedly left a child in a hot car, in…

Police Report: Woman Expresses Gratitude Following Fatal DUI Accident Killing Three

Inset: Kearra Thomas (Williamson County Jail). Background: Authorities responding to the scene…

Son Requests Early Release for the ‘Postcard Bandit’

The son of Australia's most notorious bank robber and prison escapee says…

Raul Valle Describes Chaotic Night at the Party

Context: Raul Valle provides testimony at Superior Court in Milford, Connecticut, on…

Trump Requests Supreme Court Approval to Remove Biden’s Appointees

President Donald Trump addresses an “Invest in America” roundtable with business leaders…

Judge States Lawyer Referenced ‘Non-Existent’ Case Against Trump Administration

Left: U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta (via U.S. District Court for the…

Attractive Teacher with 55 Charges Wishes to Move Near Student Alleged in Abuse Case

On Wednesday, a judge in DuPage County, Illinois, rejected a plea from…

Grieving Father Searches for Clues After Traveler’s Mysterious Death on Country Road

A devastated father has issued a public appeal after his son was…