Josh Duggar, who rose to fame as the eldest son of the Duggar family in the 2008 TLC reality TV series "19 Kids and Counting" is now embroiled in a federal child pornography case after investigators found over 200 images and files of child pornography on his personal computer.
Duggar was arrested last week and was charged with possession of child pornography, to which he pleaded not guilty. He was released on bail on Wednesday with a long list of restrictions to comply with as he awaits trial.
This is not the first time Duggar was embroiled in a pornography scandal as in 2015, the Asso ciated Press reported that the reality TV star had submitted himself into a long-term treatment center for his pornography addiction.
The then 27 year old also admitted to molesting five underage girls when he was a teenager, including two of his sisters, pushing TLC to cancel the hit reality TV show that often painted the family as a wholesome, religious unit. The show lasted for 10 seasons and concluded in May 2015.
According to FOX News, Duggar was temporarily released by Arkansas Judge Christy Comstock "with a number of contentious conditions" and "the least restrictive conditions necessary to ensure the safety of the community."
The judge argued that "sophistication of the evidence that I have heard here today concerns me that we don't have enough technology to ensure your compliance," ordering him to refrain from accessing any Internet-enabled devices while awaiting his trial. He is also forbidden from possessing controlled substances and firearms.
Duggar is believed to have bypassed monitoring software that was supposed to prevent him from accessing child pornography images in his computer and send alerts to his wife, Anna. Investigators found that in May of 2019, Duggar had accessed pornography sites "associated with rape and files with child pornography."
He was also found to have downloaded images of children as young as 18 months to 12 years old and as per the investigator, the evidence was in the "top five of the worst I've ever had to examine."
The Blaze reported that Duggar has been placed in the custody of a close family friend, away from any minor children and has only been allowed to be around his children if his wife is present. He was also ordered to surrender his passport and submit to GPS monitoring at all times.
Duggar's federal case that charges him of owning child pornography images in his computer is set to be heard on July 6, with a pre-trial on July 1. If found guilty, the reality TV star faces up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
Jenny Coleman, director of Stop It Now!, an organization focused on preventing child sexual abuse told USA Today that repeat offenders like Duggar are hard to pin down, arguing that those who re-offend often do not disclose their actions for fear of reporting.
Coleman argued, "While there are many studies on recidivism rates, they generally only measure re-arrest rates, not re-offending rates. So far, no treatment approach has come anywhere close to 'solving' the problem."
