Former reality TV star Josh Duggar sentenced to 12 years in prison for child porn possession

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (TCD) -- Former "19 Kids and Counting" star Josh Duggar was sentenced to 12 years in prison Wednesday without the possibility of parole.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Arkansas announced the news in a statement, saying Duggar "repeatedly downloaded and viewed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including images of prepubescent children and depictions of sadistic abuse."

Duggat was convicted by a federal jury in December for downloading and possessing child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors said he used a password-protected hard drive on a computer he had at his car dealership in Springdale in order to "avoid pornography-detecting software on the device." He then reportedly downloaded material depicting sexual abuse of children in March 2019.

Duggar supposedly used the same password for the software as other family accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In November 2019, federal agents seized Duggar's computer and other devices at his car lot and found "significant evidence" that reportedly placed Duggar at the lot when the material was downloaded or displayed on the computer.

According to KFSM-TV, Duggar must now register as a sex offender and cannot have unsupervised contact with minors — including his children — or use a computer without approval. Duggar is required to enter a sex offender treatment program, comply with DNA collection, and not smoke marijuana.

Duggar's defense argued for either an acquittal or a new trial, but Judge Timothy Brooks denied the request, saying there was "no merit to Mr. Duggar's argument in favor of acquittal," according to KNWA-TV. His attorneys said the jury "was not presented evidence sufficient to show he actually viewed any child pornography."

About a week before his sentencing, Duggar's attorneys sought the minimum sentence of five years, KNWA reports.

Duggar and his legal team will reportedly appeal the sentence.

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