FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — 33-year-old Josh Duggar, known for his appearance on "19 Kids and Counting" and other scandals, was arrested Thursday (April 29) by U.S. Marshals and is being held without bail in the Washington County jail on child porn charges.
Duggar appeared in a federal court over Zoom Friday (April 30) morning in a gray-and-black prison jumpsuit.
He is facing two charges of possessing child porn.
His attorneys are Travis Story, Greg Payne and Justin Gelfand.
His counsel released a statement that said in part, "In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime. But when you’re accused, you can fight back in the courtroom—and that is exactly what Josh intends to do."
Duggar's attorneys said he would plead not guilty to both charges.
According to the indictment, Duggar allegedly downloaded child porn that depicts the sexual abuse of children under the ages of 12 in May of 2019.
He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000 for each charge if convicted.
Duggar will remain detained pending a detention hearing on May 5. His trial is scheduled for July 6.
Given the circumstances of his charges, the court will require a third party to live with him if he is granted an early release, and no minors can be in the home.
Duggar's wife, Anna, recently announced they are expecting their seventh child.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar released the following statement about Josh's arrest - “We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. 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.”
Duggar has been accused of molesting his sisters as minors and was sued by a porn star for battery in the past. The Duggar family sued Springdale and Washington County officials in 2017, claiming they unlawfully released redacted police documents to the magazine In Touch that gave away the names of the Duggar daughters at the center of the molestation investigation. The statute of limitations expired, and Josh Duggar was never charged for the alleged crimes, even though police concluded that a crime had occurred.
In 2019, reports surfaced that Homeland Security Investigators raided his Northwest Arkansas business, Wholesale Motorcars. Agents never denied raiding Wholesale Motorcars but did not discuss details at the time.
Please check back for updates to this developing story.