Josh Duggar of ‘19 Kids and Counting’ Goes on Trial in Child Pornography Case

U.S.|Josh Duggar of ‘19 Kids and Counting’ Goes connected Trial successful Child Pornography Case

Josh Duggar, who gained personage connected the TLC world amusement “19 Kids and Counting” arsenic the eldest sibling of a brimming household guided by blimpish Christian values, went connected proceedings Tuesday successful Arkansas connected national kid pornography charges.

Mr. Duggar, 33, appeared successful U.S. District Court successful Fayetteville, Ark., for the archetypal time of assemblage enactment successful his intimately watched trial. He was arrested successful April, accused of utilizing the net to download explicit worldly showing the intersexual maltreatment of children, immoderate younger than 12 years old, according to an indictment.

Federal prosecutors charged Mr. Duggar with 1 number of receiving kid pornography and 1 number of possessing kid pornography, each of which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years successful situation and $250,000 successful fines if convicted.

Mr. Duggar pleaded not blameworthy and has been escaped connected a idiosyncratic recognizance enslaved that was granted by the judge, who this period barred each physics and signaling devices from the courtroom during the trial.

Mr. Duggar’s fame began to unravel successful 2015 aft In Touch mag reported that helium had molested respective girls erstwhile helium was a teenager, prompting astatine slightest 20 companies to pull their ads from the show. TLC canceled the show, which made its debut successful 2008 and was 1 of the cablegram network’s apical performers, aft much than 200 episodes.

No transgression charges resulted from the allegations — they had passed the statute of limitations — but Mr. Duggar’s parents said they were existent successful a Fox News interview successful 2015. They disclosed that 4 of Mr. Duggar’s sisters were among the victims.

At the time, Mr. Duggar apologized successful a connection to People mag that was besides posted connected the Duggar family’s Facebook page. It has since been removed.

“Twelve years ago, arsenic a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I americium highly atrocious and profoundly regret,” helium said. “I wounded others, including my household and adjacent friends. I confessed this to my parents who took respective steps to assistance maine code the situation.”

He had antecedently worked connected the 2008 statesmanlike run of Mike Huckabee, the Republican erstwhile politician of Arkansas, and connected the 2012 statesmanlike run of erstwhile Senator Rick Santorum, a Republican of Pennsylvania.

“We spoke with the authorities wherever I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for maine and those affected by my actions to person counseling,” Mr. Duggar said successful his statement. “I understood that if I continued down this incorrect roadworthy that I would extremity up ruining my life.”

During an evidentiary proceeding connected Monday, Mr. Duggar’s lawyers contended that his conversations with his father, Jim Bob Duggar, and the parents of a miss helium was accused of molesting should beryllium excluded from the trial, the tv presumption KNWA reported.

All 3 are religion leaders and the discussions should beryllium treated arsenic confidential, Mr. Duggar's lawyers wrote successful a little that was filed connected Tuesday.

“The clergy privilege — besides referred to arsenic the priest-penitent privilege oregon the spiritual privilege — is simply a firmly rooted privilege that shields definite communications from disclosure,” Mr. Duggar’s lawyers wrote.

The lawyers contended that “while clergy are mandated reporters of suspected kid maltreatment successful Arkansas,” determination is an exemption for the cognition obtained by clergy members done “religious subject of the applicable denomination oregon faith” oregon successful the “context of admission.”

On Monday, the justice heard grounds from Jim Bob Duggar, who is besides a campaigner for the Arkansas State Senate, astir the disclosures.

Prosecutors rejected the statement that Josh Duggar’s disclosures should beryllium treated arsenic confidential.

“The suspect is asking the tribunal to follow an mentation of the clergy-penitent privilege that is truthful unprecedently overbroad arsenic to render it unenforceable,” prosecutors wrote successful a little connected Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the justice had yet to regularisation connected the admittance of grounds related to those disclosures.