Josh Duggar's Lawyer On Guilty Child Pornography Verdict: 'We Respect The Jury'
Josh Duggar, the former star of the reality TV show “19 Kids and Counting” has been found guilty of possession of child pornography on his work computer. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
“We appreciate the jury’s lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury’s verdict, and we intend to appeal," Duggar's legal team said in a statement to NBC News following the verdict.
Duggar pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges in April. Federal prosecutors argued Duggar used a Linux partition on a laptop in an effort to prevent his internet use from being monitored.
Evidence presented to the court included Duggar’s internet history, downloaded images, and saved files. His defense attorneys said someone else used Duggar’s computer to download the images. Family friend Bobye Holt testified Duggar had previously confessed to molesting underage girls to her in a conversation the pair had in 2003, and that Duggar had touched multiple girls under their pants and underwear.
"A child predator has been brought to justice," said Homeland Security's resident agent-in-charge, Billy Riggins.
"First and foremost, this shows that no person is above the law," Clay Fowlkes, the acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, told reporters beside Riggins.
Fowlkes testified that photos and videos of children as young as 10 being sexually abused could have been accessed and then deleted from a separate password-protected system on Duggar’s computer. Duggar’s parents Jim Bob and Michelle released a statement addressing the seriousness of the allegations and that their prayer is that “the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light.”
Duggar had also been investigated in 2015 for molesting his four younger sisters and a babysitter. Duggar released a statement saying he had “acted inexcusably” as a teenager. Duggar was never charged with a crime. In 2015 Duggar admitted he had a pornography addiction and that he had been using the site Ashley Maddison for extramarital affairs.
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