Former reality television star Josh Duggar was sentenced Wednesday to 151 months — or about 12½ years — in prison as part of his child pornography case, according to the Associated Press. An Arkansas jury in December found Duggar guilty of both receiving and possessing child pornography.
“We’re grateful the judge dismissed Count 2 and rejected the Government’s request for a 240-month sentence,” Gelfand said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing the fight on appeal.”
Duggar rose to fame for starring alongside his parents and siblings in TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” which highlighted aspects of the family’s self-described “very conservative” way of life. The show was canceled in May 2015 after In Touch Weekly published allegations that Duggar had molested multiple young girls as a teenager. Duggar issued a statement apologizing for unspecified “wrongdoing” and resigned from his job as executive director of the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group known for its anti-LGBTQ and antiabortion views.
In June 2015, Duggar’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, told Fox News that the alleged victims were four of his younger sisters and a babysitter. Later that year, TLC greenlit the “19 Kids and Counting” spinoff series “Counting On,” which featured the Duggar family members apart from Josh. The show was canceled in April 2021 after he was arrested on child pornography charges.