Josh Duggar’s Sentence for Child Pornography Charges Revealed

Josh Duggar has been sentenced to about 12.5 years in prison for receipt of child pornography. The former 19 Kids and Counting star was convicted of receiving illicit materials back in December, but he still maintains his innocence. His lawyers say they plan to appeal this conviction as soon as possible.

Judge Timothy L. Brooks sentenced Duggar to 151 months in prison at Wednesday’s hearing, according to a report by The Sun. The sentence came after the defense and prosecution had agreed to vacate a second charge against Duggar — possession of child pornography, which Brooks agreed was a lesser charge and was part of the receipt charge anyway. Duggar’s legal team requested a sentence of 5 years in prison while the prosecution sought the maximum sentence of 20 years. The 34-year-old himself reportedly had no visible reaction when his sentence was read aloud.

The prosecution reportedly made an impassioned case for Duggar to receive a longer sentence. Attorneys argued that Duggar has a long history of sexual predation, citing his molestation of his siblings as a teenager and other legal entanglements. They also pointed out just how much effort he went to in order to obtain these illegal materials, even bypassing a computer program called Covenant Eyes used to block pornography on past offenders’ devices.

Mostly, prosecutors argued that Duggar is “likely to offend again” whenever he is released from prison. Attorney Dustin Roberts said that Duggar has “not taken responsibility” for his crimes and therefore remains a threat. Judge Brooks’ response was to recommend sex offender treatment for Duggar, though he is not required to take this recommendation. Duggar has previously sought treatment over the years between his offenses and alleged offenses.

This sentence stems from an investigation back in the autumn of 2019. Homeland Security agents executed a search warrant on Duggar’s used car dealership where they found child pornography on his computer. According to a report by The L.A. Times, special agent Gerald Faulkner testified against Duggar last spring after working the case in 2019. He said that the material on Duggar’s computer was “in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine.” His testimony included graphic details of what Duggar had downloaded.

Duggar maintains his innocence and his legal team plans to move forward with an appeal. There’s no word yet on when he may be back in court. In the meantime, he will be held behind bars.