Josh Duggar received a guilty verdict in his child pornography trial, but the former reality TV star was all smiles in his subsequent mugshot photo. On Thursday, Duggar’s trial ended with the jury delivering their decision to the court. The 33-year-old was found guilty of two charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. A new mugshot was taken afterward, with Dugger donning a white dress shirt and flashing a slight smile to the camera.
Duggar’s sentencing will come at a later date, but the father of seven faces up to 20 years behind bars, as well as $250,000 in fines for each count he was convicted on. This means that he could potentially be looking at 40 years in prison and fines of $500,000. Duggar was taken into custody by sheriffs in Arkansas on April 28, with no word on the cause of the arrest at the time. The following day he was transferred to the custody of U.S. Marshals and formally charged with possession of child pornography. Duggar pleaded “not guilty” to the charges and remained in custody until a bond hearing.
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Duggar was eventually released on bond and had reportedly been staying with a family friend. He was prohibited from having contact with minors. He was reportedly allowed “unlimited contact” with his kids, however, his wife — who gave birth to the couple’s seventh child in October — was required to be present for the visits.
Following the verdict, a number of Duggar’s siblings have spoken out, including his sister Jill Duggar Dillard. “Today was difficult for our family,” Dillard wrote in a blog entry. “Our hearts go out to the victims of child abuse or any kind of exploitation. We are thankful for the hard work of law enforcement, including investigators, forensic analysts, prosecutors and all others involved who save kids and hold accountable those responsible for their abuse.”
The former Counting On star went on to write, “Nobody is above the law. It applies equally to everybody, no matter your wealth, status, associations, gender, race, or any other factor. Today, the people of the Western District of Arkansas made that clear in their verdict. As a Christian, we believe we are all equal at the foot of the cross, and, likewise, we are all equal under the law.” At this time Duggar has not issued a statement on his verdict.
