Josh Duggar of the hit reality TV show 19 Kids And Counting has pleaded not guilty to receiving and possessing child pornography after he was arrested and charged in Arkansas last week
Josh Duggar of the hit reality TV show 19 Kids And Counting has been accused of having 65 child porn images and one video depicting children aged 5 to 10 on his computer.
The 33-year-old has pleaded not guilty to receiving and possessing child pornography after he was arrested and charged in Arkansas last week.
Duggar, whose wife Anna is pregnant with their seventh child, appeared via Zoom from the Washington County Jail for a federal detention hearing on Wednesday.
Homeland Security special agent Gerald Faulkner testified that the images found on Duggar’s computer were ‘in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine’.
Investigators seized Duggar’s computer and cellphone during a 2019 raid on his now-closed car dealership, Wholesale Motorcars.
The agent testified they found 65 child porn images showing a young girl.
Agents also allegedly found a two-minute video that showed a man performing sex acts on two young girls, aged between 5 and 10 years old.
When the raid was carried out, Duggar had allegedly asked investigators: ‘What is this about? Has someone been downloading child pornography?’
Duggar was asked about having child porn in his possession and he allegedly responded: ‘I’d rather not answer that question.’
Josh and his wife Anna with their children Mackenzie, 11, Michael, nine, Marcus, seven, Meredith, five, Mason, three, and Maryella, one, in 2019
Duggar, whose wife Anna is pregnant with their seventh child, was arrested last week on child porn charges. He is pictured above following his arrest
The agent testified that there was a TOR browser on Duggar’s computer that allowed for anonymous browsing on the dark web.
The password for the browser program was allegedly the digits of Duggar’s birth year. It is the same password used for his bank accounts and other online sites, the agent said.
The IP address of the computer was also linked to Duggar’s address.
Duggar is alleged to have downloaded the child sexual abuse material online back in 2019 on May 14, 15 and 16.
The files were first flagged by a detective in Little Rock before allegedly being traced to Duggar’s car dealership.
His detention hearing came after Duggar had filed a motion to be released on bail.
He argued he was not a flight risk because he has ‘a widely-recognizable face’ and of his ‘deep roots’ in the community.
A judge ruled last week that if Duggar is released on bond, he is not allowed to live in a home with children.
That would prohibit Duggar from returning to his home where he lives with Anna and their six children.
‘He was born and raised in this community and, with the exception of a stint working in politics in Washington, D.C., this has always been his home,’ the motion for his bail application read.
His arrest followed a Homeland Security raid on his now-closed car dealership, Wholesale Motorcars, in Springdale, Arkansas back in November 2019. He was not charged at the time
Duggar and Anna in 2015. His arrest last Thursday comes just days after they announced they were expecting their seventh child
‘Indeed, Duggar’s life – and that of his parents and 18 siblings – has been largely documented on camera and in the media.
‘In that vein, Duggar has a widely-recognizable face and has spent the majority of his life in the public spotlight – making any concern that he is a risk of flight all the more unwarranted.’
Duggar alleged that he has ‘maintained an open dialogue with the US Attorney’s Office in connection with this investigation’ and noted that he was permitted to ‘voluntarily self-surrender in connection with this case.’
If convicted of the child porn charges, Duggar faces up to 20 years in prison.
His parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, issued a statement last week following his arrest, saying they were praying for their son and pregnant daughter-in-law.
‘The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,’ they said.
‘It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.’
