A federal jury in Fayetteville, Arkansas has found former reality TV star Josh Duggar guilty on one count each for receiving and possessing child pornography. The 33 year old was convicted on Thursday and now faces up to 20 years in prison and fees of up to $250,000 for each count when he is sentenced.
"This verdict sends the message that these cases are a top priority for our office," U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas Clay Fowlkes remarked, as per NBC News. He added that more than 7% of the cases in his office involve child sex abuse images.
"This verdict also demonstrates that no person is above the law. Regardless of wealth, social status, or fame, our office will continue to seek out all individuals who seek to abuse children and victimize them through the downloading, possession, and sharing of child pornography."
In April, Duggar pleaded not guilty to federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography in Arkansas. However, federal prosecutors argued that the reality TV Star downloaded a Linux partition on his laptop to bypass software that monitors his internet use.
An undercover investigation on a file-sharing program found Duggar's activity and when investigators geolocated the computer, they found it in Duggar's car lot, matched the time during which the child sex abuse images were downloaded and saw that it was Duggar who was using the computer.
Evidence showed that Duggar was downloading the images while sending personal messages and saving pictures. His attorneys denied all allegations and even claimed that someone else downloaded the images onto his computer, citing that his own personal devices did not contain child pornography. One of Duggar's lawyers, Justin Gelfand, confirmed that they intend to appeal the conviction.
This is not the first time Duggar was involved in inappropriate behavior. According to the Christian Headlines, the reality TV star was accused of molesting five girls, including four of his sisters. He issued a public apology in 2015, during which he admitted to "[acting] inexcusably" and that he and his victims had arranged to "receive counseling."
Fox News reported that Duggar's parents, Jim Bob and Michelle have issued their own statement following their son's conviction over child pornography charges. The couple wrote, "This entire ordeal has been very grievous. As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children."
Duggar's cousin Amy King took to Twitter to highlight the victims of child sexual abuse, sharing, "May the daughters who were abused feel validated. You are truly beautiful and worthy of love. May there be intense counseling / healing. May there be wisdom for all those involved on how to move forward. Thank you Jesus. Justice has been served."
Duggar's sister, Jill and her husband Derick Dillard shared a lengthy statement on their family website, claiming that it was a "difficult day" for their family, which is "suffering the fallout of [Josh's] actions." The couple added that the trial "felt more like a funeral than anything else," but committed to standing by Duggar's family "during this dark time."
