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Duggar, known for the TLC reality TV show "19
Kids and Counting" that focused on his parents and their 19
children, was convicted on two criminal charges. Duggar, 33,
tried to hide his actions by using a password-protected
partition on the hard drive of a desktop computer he kept at his
used car sales lot, prosecutors said.
The show was suspended in 2015 after news broke that Duggar had
molested five girls including four of his sisters. He issued a
statement at the time admitting to his actions and resigned his
post at a conservative advocacy group, but did not face criminal
charges relating to that matter.
"Today's verdict sends a message that we will track down and
prosecute people who download and view child sexual abuse
material, regardless of the lengths they go to conceal their
conduct," Kenneth Polite, assistant attorney general at the
Justice Department's Criminal Division, said in a statement.
Justin Gelfand, a lawyer for Duggar, said: "We appreciate the
jury's lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury's verdict, and
we intend to appeal."
A sentencing date for Duggar has not yet been set. He could face
between five and 20 years in prison for receiving child sexual
abuse materials, and he could face up to 20 for possessing the
materials.
Law enforcement officials first detected his activities during
an undercover investigation into online file-sharing activities
and later searched the premises of his used car sales lot in
November 2019. He was charged in April.
The show "19 Kids and Counting" delved into the religious values
and beliefs of his parents, including their opposition to birth
control, their preference to home-school their children and
their strict rules about dating, which entailed chaperoning
their daughters through a courtship and banning them from
kissing until marriage.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Additional reporting by Jonathan
Stempel)
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