Josh Duggar sentencing live updates – 19 Kids and Counting star’s prison time revealed after child pornography case

Friend defends Josh Duggar in letter

« Josh acted as if it was just a natural thing to do. He told me ‘We’re just doing what the Bible says… to have pure religion is to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction,' » Denise Wilson added in her letter to the judge before the hearing.

« My most recent time in Arkansas I needed something checked on my car before traveling back home so I stopped by the shop. Josh was incredibly busy, but he came out anyway and fix what was needed without charging me. »

She added: « I saw Josh is a loving husband to Anna respecting her and serving her. I saw his devotion to his children by paying attention to their needs and encouraging them to live right. » 

She also called the former reality star « humble and accountable » with a « servant’s heart. » 

‘I was shocked’

Denise Wilson said financial support from Josh and Anna Duggar was cut off following Anna’s emotional phone call. 

In a letter she wrote to the judge that was filed the Tuesday before the sentencing hearing, Denise wrote: « Recently, Anna called crying saying they’re not able to do this now because of their situation, despite how much they wanted to continue to support me. »

« Josh told me he and Anna were going to support me and my family monthly to keep up my finances. When he told me how much it would be. I was shocked. It was a gracious amount. »

Widow’s letter revealed

Anna Duggar reportedly called her friend crying over money troubles ahead of her husband Josh’s prison sentencing hearing because she and Josh were no longer able to financially aid the friend, The Sun reports.

The Duggar family pastor’s widow Denise Wilson described Anna’s distress when they shared a recent phone call as she pleaded with the judge for leniency in Josh’s case.

In a letter, Denise told the judge that Josh, 34, and Anna, 33, had helped support her and her nine children financially after the death of her husband.

‘Don’t let them pretend no-one’s getting hurt’

« ‘My daughter is a real person,' » the parent of one of the victims depicted in the CSAM downloaded was quoted as saying in court documents released before the sentencing date.

« ‘She was horribly victimized to provide this source of ‘entertainment.’ She is exploited anew each and every time an image of her suffering is copied, traded or sold.' »

‘ »While the crime is clearly conscienceless, it is hardly ‘victim-less.’ »

The mother asked her daughter what she wanted most from the judge. 

Her request was, according to the court papers: “‘Please, don’t let them pretend no-one’s getting hurt!’” 

Parent of CSAM victim spoke out

Ahead of the sentencing hearing, prosecutors noted in court documents that they believe it is “important” for them to “highlight the pain » Josh Duggar’s « predation caused in the words of his victims.”

The court papers read: “As the parent of one of the victims depicted in the CSAM [child sexual abuse material] the defendant downloaded explained, her daughter became an ‘anxious and fretful shadow of her former self’ after being sexually abused. »

“And when addressing the harm caused by offenders like Duggar, who traffic in images depicting the worst moments of her daughter’s life, she wrote: ‘I can find no words to express the fury I feel at those who participate in this evil, or my scorn for any attempt to minimize the responsibility by feeble claims that the crime was ‘victimless.’ »

When was Josh Duggar’s trial?

Josh Duggar’s child pornography trial took place in December 2021.

The highly-publicized jury trial lasted two weeks before the jury submitted a guilty verdict on both counts on December 9.

No reaction from Anna Duggar

Josh Duggar’s wife, Anna Duggar, had no reaction when the sentence was determined on Wednesday, The Sun’s court reporter noted.

His father, Jim Bob Duggar, also did not visibly react.

Josh Duggar’s siblings ‘looked sad’

Joy-Anna Duggar and Jason Duggar, two of Josh Duggar’s siblings, looked sad when the sentence was announced on Wednesday, The Sun’s in-court reporter revealed.

Two weeks to appeal

Josh Duggar has 14 days to appeal the sentence, according to The Sun’s court reporter at the sentencing hearing on Wednesday.

Court sketches of Josh Duggar at sentencing

Sketch artist Brandon Bullette provided drawings of Josh Duggar at his sentencing hearing to The US Sun.

Has Josh Duggar already been in jail?

Josh Duggar was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody at Washington County Jail when he was found guilty in December 2021.

Josh has maintained his innocence despite the verdict.

‘True test of a man’s character’

Arkansas Judge Timothy L Brooks sentenced Josh Duggar, 34, to 151 months in prison on May 25. 

According to The Sun’s reporter, Josh appeared stoic as he received his sentence, which also includes $50,000 in fines.

As he read his decision, the judge called Josh’s crimes « the sickest of the sick » to the courtroom.

He then said to Josh: « You have done some very bad things. But in your life as a whole, you’ve done good things…The true test of a man’s character is what a man does when no one is watching. »

Hotline and live support

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).

RAINN also has a live chat available if you would like to speak with a trained staff member who can provide you with confidential crisis support.

No comment from Anna Duggar

The Sun exclusively obtained photos and video footage of Anna Duggar fleeing the courthouse on Wednesday after the sentencing hearing.

She wore a black mask and blue dress as she made her way out of the building.

She made no comment about her husband or the situation.

‘He’s legitimately addicted’

People following the legal case were shocked by Josh Duggar’s legal team’s objection to the adult pornography ban.

« Yet Anna still won’t leave him, » one Reddit user commented on a thread about the sentencing hearing.

« He such a good Christian crying because he’s banned from porn. »

Another person wrote: « Imagine that? THIS is what they’re worried about. He hasn’t even been assigned to a prison yet and he’s already thinking about porn when he gets out. Not his kids, not his family, not where he will find gainful employment, nope he’s focused on….PORN. »

A third Redditor wrote: « Probably know how he will not give that up because he’s legitimately addicted, so they know that increases his likelihood to violate his probation »

Josh’s legal team objected to adult pornography ban

As part of Josh Duggar’s punishment for his crimes, he cannot access or view any kind of pornography when he is released from prison.

Josh is forbidden from owning a computer or electronic devices capable of storing pornographic content or with access to the internet without his probation officer’s approval and internet-monitoring software must be installed on any such devices.

Josh’s legal team objected to the adult pornography ban, but Judge Timothy L Brooks, who presided over the sentencing hearing, overruled both objections.

Facility has sex offender treatment program

According to the BoP website, FCI Seagoville, where Josh Duggar may be sent after his sentencing, has a Sex Offender Management Program (SOMP) and in 2018 it was estimated that around 40 percent of the inmates there were sex offenders.  

Duggar has been locked up in Washington County Jail since his verdict was reached in December 2021, and he will soon be transferred to federal prison.

The judge in his sentencing hearing recommended he undergo a sex offender treatment program. 

Assaults inside Texas prison

There have also been a number of assaults inside the prison walls where Josh Duggar may be spending the next decade over the years. 

According to a release by the Department of Justice, « John Hall, 27, an Aryan Brotherhood member and inmate » at the facility, attacked and assaulted a fellow inmate because he believed he was gay. »

« Hall repeatedly punched, kicked and stomped on the victim’s face with his shod feet, a dangerous weapon, while yelling a homophobic slur, » the release continued.

« The victim lost consciousness during the assault and suffered multiple lacerations to his face. The victim also sustained a fractured eye socket, lost a tooth, and fractured other teeth. »

Texas prison made national headlines

The all-male minimum security prison where Josh Duggar may be sent made national headlines in 2020 for having over 72 percent of its population infected with COVID. 

CNN reported in August of 2020, as the outbreak at the prison continued to rage, that at least three inmates had died by that point, with one of the inmate’s family members calling the facility a « petri dish. »

Inside Josh Duggar’s possible Texas prison

Disgraced 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar will serve time following charges he downloaded what a federal judge called « the worst of the worst » of child pornography. 

During the sentencing hearing, the judge recommended Josh go to either FCI Seagoville or FCI Texarkana both in Texas, depending on bed availability. 

The convicted sex offender’s team is requesting that Josh, 34, be placed in the Seagoville facility, which has specific programs available to sexual predators, according to the Bureau of Prisons.   

Conditions after release

Josh Duggar will be barred from unsupervised visits with minors, including his own children, and cannot own a computer or electronic device capable of downloading pornography or accessing the internet when he is released from prison.

Any such device must be run by his probation officer and must have monitoring software on it.

He also cannot obtain a medical marijuana card, will be subject to random searches, and will have to submit to polygraph testing at his probation officer’s discretion.

Amy Duggar: We will ‘help’ Anna

Anna’s sister, Rebekah, even commented thanking Amy for the post on Instagram in which she urged Anna to leave Josh.

She simply replied « Thank you » alongside a heart emoji.

Anna’s father appears to be in support of her remaining married to Josh, because he wrote a letter to judge Timothy L Brooks asking for a more lenient sentence for his son-in-law.

Amy told The Sun of Rebekah’s support: “It feels liberating to know there are other people rooting for Anna. Supporting Anna at this time. »

« We will help you. You will survive this if you choose to. We all just want the best for her. At least some of us do.”

‘Everyone just wants the best for her’

Amy Duggar King told The Sun she doesn’t know if Josh Duggar’s wife Anna read the post, as she hasn’t heard from her. 

« Maybe she thinks I’m after fame or likes on Instagram, » she said.

« That was saying I feel for you. Anna, I love you. I’ve loved you since day one. »

« I want her to know how sincere it truly is. Everyone just wants the best for her and her children, and for them to be safe and protected.” 

Amy Duggar: ‘Anna is being silenced’

“How do you stay silent when something is so heartbreaking? » Amy continued.

« Anna is being silenced or choosing to be silent or she’s choosing not to believe the real hard true facts of what’s happening. »

« If I were Anna, I can’t imagine the kind of mental state I would be in, » she added.

« It’s going to take a lot of time for her to really understand what’s happening. It’s just really sad.”

‘She’s not answering phone calls’

Earlier this week, Amy posted a photo that featured Anna and Amy hugging during her wedding to her husband Dillon King, who owns Wellington’s in Springdale, Arkansas. 

In the caption, Amy pleaded for her cousin’s wife, who shares seven children with Josh, to leave him. 

The Thirty1Thirty owner told The Sun of the public plea: « I know that Anna checks her Instagram. I thought, ‘Okay, could tag her in it and maybe she could see it.’ « 

« She’s not answering text messages. She’s not answering phone calls, » she added.

« I know she has a large account and she does scroll on Instagram. That’s a way to reach out and say I am here for her. »