Former reality star Josh Duggar has been found guilty of downloading and possessing child porn. He faces up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced.
U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes of the western district of Arkansas spoke to the press, saying, “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,”
Duggar’s defense attorneys indicated that they intend to appeal the decision. “We respect the jury’s verdict and we look forward to continuing this fight on appeal,” said Justin Gelfand.
Federal law enforcement began investigating Duggar after a Little Rock police detective traced child porn files that were shared to Duggar’s computer. Included among the material was the sexual abuse of children as young as toddlers.
The jury did not buy the defense’s assertion that someone other than Duggar downloaded those files onto his computer. Jim Bob Duggar, Josh Duggar’s father, is running in a special election for a state Senate seat in northwestern Arkansas.
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The Duggars have been widely criticized for hiding the extent of Josh Duggar’s problems. In 2015, the show 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled after allegations became public that Josh Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter. Duggar admitted it at the time to his parents.
Later the same year that the molestation bombshell exploded, Duggar was caught using the social media site Ashley Madison, which married people used to facilitate affairs. After that revelation, Duggar checked into a rehab facility that was affiliated with the family’s church.
The Daily Mail reported that the rehab had serious problems of its own.
But though the program aims to help people nurture ‘the relationship with Christ necessary to enjoy their freedom from the power of sin,’ one of its own former counselors, Pastor Jack Allen Schaap, had pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal sexual assault stemming from the statutory rape of an underage girl on multiple occasions…
Soon after Josh checked into the facility, it was reported that it had links to a former pastor who groomed an underage girl for sex.
RadarOnline.com reported that Pastor Jack Allen Schaap, 63, had pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal sexual assault in a deal with prosecutors, related to an ‘inappropriate relationship’ in 2012 with an ‘underage parishioner’ referred to as Jane Doe, according to United States District Court documents.
Through it all, Duggar’s wife has stood by him. For those of you who would like more information on the psychology of wives who stay with abusers, especially when they’re connected to powerful churches that facilitate abuse through a culture of silence, listen to my VIP podcast on the subject, “Why Doesn’t Anna Duggar Just Leave?”, with domestic violence expert Sarah McDugal.
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