Well, there’s a conclusion to the Josh Duggar story as the former 19 Kids and Counting star was sentenced to 12 years and seven months behind bars. Initially, he was looking at 20 years and some hefty fines.
Josh Duggar Sentenced to 12 Years and 7 Months in Prison for Child Pornography
As expected, the prosecution wanted the max for Josh Duggar. Meanwhile, Duggar’s legal team was seeking a brisk five years for their client. Which just wasn’t going to happen. Time was invested by both sides and jurors had to interrupt their week to hear about what a convicted sex offender was getting into or getting off on.
Not only that, they saw the content, heard testimony, looked over the evidence, and even listened to one of the weakest defenses ever. Sure, jurors tend to get paid for their time but a five-year sentence would’ve just been a waste of time considering what was done and waters down the offense. Duggar maintains his innocence and was denied a new trial or acquittal on May 24, 2022. His team has said that an appeal is in the works.
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Josh Duggar was arrested in April 2021 after a detective traced a computer that was the illegal content back to the former TLC star. During the trial, federal forensic investigators testified that the content was downloaded to Josh’s computer at his car dealership in 2019.
It is this content and Duggar’s previous history of molesting his sisters that prosecutors put their max sentence gambit on. In their court filing, the state said:
“This past conduct, when viewed alongside the conduct for which he has been convicted, makes clear that Duggar has a deep-seated, pervasive, and violent sexual interest in children, and a willingness to act on that interest.”
When paired with the following statement, the prosecution pushed a strong case for the max:
“There is simply no indication that Duggar will ever take the steps necessary to change this pattern of behavior and address his predilection for minor females.”
While they wouldn’t get the five years, Duggar’s legal team did hear their plea for mercy answered. In addition to prison time, Josh Duggar is looking at 20 years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine. He will have to register as a sex offender and is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with children—including his own.
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