After Josh Duggar was sentenced to twelve years in prison, the first photo of him behind bars has gone viral.
It comes after he was charged with receiving and possessing abusive material earlier last year.
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The Duggars first rose to fame thanks to the reality show 19 Kids and Counting…
But while the family portrayed a wholesome image…
There have been quite a few scandals over the years.
So much so that TLC eventually pulled the plug on the show in 2015 following Josh Duggar’s scandal involving young children.
At the time, Josh said: “Twelve years ago, as a young teenager. I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret.”
He continued, “We spoke with authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling.”
The incidents occurred when he was fourteen, in 2002 and 2003.
The family didn’t report the incidents until the statute of limitations passed in 2006. At the time Josh said he believed God showed him mercy and gave him redemption.
Then, in 2021, Josh was arrested and charged with receiving and possessing indecent images of children.
People reports that Josh was arrested as he was found to have more than 200 images of children on his computer.
Homeland Security special agent Gerald Faulkner described the things found as “in the top 5 of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine,” the Daily Mail reports.
Faulkner also said that Josh downloaded files that included “a series of material involving minor children.”
Despite the finding, Josh was granted jail release ahead of his trial…
And, he was also still permitted to have contact with his children.
After many months, Josh’s trial began at the John Paul Hammerschmidt federal courthouse in Arkansas in December.
Proceedings with the trial got underway as a judge heard testimonies to determine whether previous allegations should be admitted into the trial.
Duggar’s defense asked for the trial to solely focus on the indecent material allegations.
“Let’s have a trial about what actually happened in May of 2019,” attorney Justin Gelfand asked the judge, People reports.
However, the prosecution wanted to use Josh’s alleged previous admissions as evidence.
Therefore, in order to decide the judge called for a hearing in which people were called by the prosecution to testify.
The hearing saw Duggar’s father, Jim Bob Duggar, called and his family friend, Bobye Holt.
Jim Bob Duggar testified at the hearing in regards to the previous abuse allegations…
However, what he had to say was found to “be not credible.”
Jim Bob claimed in his testimony that he was unable to recall key details about the prior allegations.
And as a result, Judge Timothy L. Brooks, deemed his “memory to be not credible.”
“The Court found Mr. Duggar’s selective lapse in memory to be not credible; he was obviously reluctant to testify against his son,” Brooks said, People reports.
After hearing other testimonies, Brooks ruled that the allegations from Josh’s previous scandals could be used as evidence by the prosecution in his current trial.
The outlet reports that Brooks wrote in his ruling: “The Court finds, based on the Government’s proffer of evidence at the hearing, that the prior acts committed by Defendant in 2002 and 2003 against four child victims are clear and compelling.”
“The child victims, in this case, are approximately the same ages as the victims of Defendant’s hands-on offenses.”
“Accordingly, the prior act evidence is probative of Defendant’s interest in underage children and his propensity for exploiting young girls.”
Then, after a difficult week’s trial, a decision was finally made.
The jury found Duggar guilty of both receiving and possessing.
Now, Duggar has finally been sentenced for his crimes.
District Judge Timothy L. Brooks announced that Duggar would spend twelve years in federal prison.
He is also being ordered to pay $50,100 in fines.
Duggar appeared unfazed by the ruling and continued to write notes as the judge spoke.
His attorney Justin Gelfand then confirmed his legal team would be filing for an appeal within the next 2 weeks.
Attorney David Clay Fowlkes then spoke out on the sentencing, saying: “This isn’t the sentence we asked for, but it is a sentence we’re proud of.”
He continued on behalf of child abuse victims, saying: “they are real. Their pain is real. And we will do everything within our power to make sure justice is served.”
Once Duggar is released, he will be on parole for twenty more years.
And will not be allowed near children without full supervision, including his own children.
As well as taking part in s*x offender rehabilitation, he will also have to abstain from any kind of p**nography.
Josh’s wife, Anna, his father, and his siblings, Joy-Anna, and Jason Duggar appeared in court for the sentencing.
After the Judge gave the sentencing, Anna left without acknowledging the rest of the family.
Since then, a photo of Josh from prison has gone viral.
It comes after Josh filed an appeal against his conviction for possession and receipt of child p*rn at his used car lot in Arkansas.
According to the Daily Mail, the appeal, filed on Monday, stated that investigators failed to meaningfully investigate one of his employees, Caleb Williams…
He accused him of regularly using his computer and labeled him as “extremely tech savvy.”
As per reports, he claims he was unfairly prevented from calling Williams as a witness to ask him about a text he allegedly sent him in May 2019 offering to “watch the lot” right around the time the offenses took place.
While he started serving his 151-month term in June, reports suggest the s*x offender’s lawyers are also taking aim at the reliability of the GPS data the government used to place him at the office computer when the p*rn was viewed.
This means that unless the appeal is successful, Josh will face spending at least the next decade in prison.
Nevertheless, the viral photo shows the ex-reality star with a fully grown thick beard and thinning hair growing out as he gets accustomed to his new life as inmate number 42501-509.
Reportedly, in the photo, Josh sips from a mug and mingles with prisoners in the photo taken inside the Federal Correctional Institute Seagoville, just outside of Dallas.
You can see the photo here.