Josh Duggar’s wife Anna leaves court emotionless after former TV star convicted of child porn possession
Anna Duggar was spotted looking emotionless on her way out of the Arkansas federal courthouse where her husband, Josh Duggar, was convicted of child pornography possession on Thursday.
Anna, 33, exited the John Paul Hammerschmidt Federal Building dressed in a black dress and matching peacoat, with a protective face mask on.
A jury found, Josh, 33, guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each count when he’s sentenced.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks said sentencing will happen in about four months, Fayetteville TV station KNWA reported.
JOSH DUGGAR TRIAL VERDICT FINDS HIM GUILTY ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
The former “19 Kids and Counting” star was immediately taken into custody after the federal jury read aloud his verdict.
Duggar’s attorneys released a statement to Fox News shortly after the verdict, saying they intend to appeal.
“We appreciate the jury’s lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury’s verdict, and we intend to appeal,” defense attorneys Justin Gelfand, Ian Murphy, and Travis Story said.
US Attorneys in the case held a press conference outside the courthouse after the verdict was announced.
“This case represents a significant milestone for the Western District of Arkansas and our continued efforts to combat child abuse. Those who would say that children who were photographed and videoed in a manner similar to the evidence in this case are not abused and are not victims are clearly wrong. Children who are photographed and videoed in manners such as this are the victims and every time their videos and photos are traded online, uploaded, and downloaded from the internet, they are victimized again,” one of the U.S. attorneys said.
JOSH DUGGAR TRIAL: FRIEND CLAIMS DUGGAR CONFESSED TO MOLESTING CHILDREN
Duggar and his large Arkansas family starred on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” until the network canceled the show in 2015 following revelations that he had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter. Authorities began investigating the abuse in 2006 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. 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’s family friend Bobye Holt took the stand and claimed the star confessed to molesting multiple young girls during a conversation back in 2003.
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Federal authorities said they began investigating after a Little Rock police detective found child porn files were being shared by a computer traced to Duggar. A federal agent testified in May that images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including toddlers, were downloaded in 2019 onto a computer at a car dealership Duggar owned.
The defense had argued that someone else downloaded or placed the child pornography onto the computer at Duggar’s workplace, noting that no child pornography was found on Duggar’s phone or laptop. But the jury wasn’t swayed.
Anna remained by her husband’s side each day as they walked in and out of court, holding hands. The couple welcomed their seventh child together in October.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
