Josh Duggar Gets 12 Years In Prison For Child Porn Convictions

FAYETTEVILLE, AR — Josh Duggar, the eldest child of the conservative family showcased on TLC's reality show "19 Kids and Counting," was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison Wednesday for possessing child pornography depicting child sexual abuse, according to a report.

In December, 34-year-old Duggar was found guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. Duggar pleaded not guilty to the charges in April 2021.

Prosecutors had fought for the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while the defense team had asked for five, Buzzfeed News reported.

"Duggar has a deep-seated, pervasive, and violent sexual interest in children," Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts wrote in a sentencing memo, according to Buzzfeed.

On Tuesday, District Judge Timothy Brooks also rejected Duggar's request for a new trial, Buzzfeed reported.

Duggar, his parents and his siblings starred in TLC's "19 Kids And Counting." The network canceled the show in 2015 after Duggar admitted to molesting his four younger sisters and a babysitter.

In 2006, authorities began investigating the abuse after receiving a tip from a family friend but concluded that the statute of limitations on any possible charges had expired.

Duggar's parents said he had confessed to the fondling and apologized, The AP reported. At the time, Duggar apologized publicly for unspecified behavior and resigned as a lobbyist for the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group.

Duggar later apologized for a pornography addiction and for cheating on his wife, calling himself "the biggest hypocrite ever."

Duggar and his wife, Anna, have six children.

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