Josh Duggar's Child Porn Conviction, Disturbing Molestation Claims, Infidelity & More Secrets From The Convicted Sex Offender's Dark Past
Dec. 10 2021, Updated 12:32 p.m. ET
Josh Duggar was recently convicted on two charges of possessing and recieving child pornography following his April arrest.
But that isn't the only scandal the disgraced reality star has gotten himself wrapped up in.
Josh, the eldest of the famous Duggar family — who are best known for their reality show on TLC 19 Kids And Counting — has been at the center of several controversies since a shocking molestation scandal resurfaced in 2015.
Child Pornography Conviction
Earlier this week, Josh was found guilty on two charges of possessing and receiving child pornography. His trial lasted roughly two weeks and came to a close on Thursday, December 9.
After postponing and even trying to get the case thrown out altogether, Josh's trial kicked off on Tuesday, November 30.
The jury on the case was reportedly shown the disturbing content found on the computer at Josh's car lot, which featured horrific video and photo content of young girls posing nude and being penetrated by adult males.
During the grueling two-week trial, Josh's defense team tried arguing reasonable doubt by insisting that hackers could have been the ones downloading and viewing the illegal content.
However, the prosecution's forsensics expert James Fottrrell testified against Josh, argued the system was accessed using a password that the defendant commonly uses.
Josh was reportedly seen "teary-eyed" as the verdict was read, and he was immediately cuffed and taken in to custody.
The tv personality was booked into Washington County Jail, where he will be detained until his sentencing. Judge Timothy L. Brooks announced on the last day of the trial that his sentence could take up to four months to be determined.
Past Molestation Scandal
The oldest Duggar child began covering up his crimes as a "young teenager" when he was first caught molesting four of his sisters and a family friend. In his August 2015 confession he spoke about being "14-15" at the time.
His parents, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, subsequently sent him to treatment that consisted mainly of doing construction work. The details of his assaults on the defenseless children were exposed after the police officer who spoke with him about it was thrown in jail for possession of child pornography.
Two of Josh's sisters, Jessa and Jill Duggar, admitted to being victimized by their older brother; however, they both defended their brother, saying that he was "sly" with his "inappropriate touching" and said that he never "raped" them, to justify his actions.
In a pre-trial hearing, family friend Bobye Holt testified that her daughter was dating Josh in 2002 and 2003 when he first admitted to molesting underaged girls.
“Josh explained that Jane Doe four was sitting on his lap during Bible time and he touched her inappropriately," she testified to the court last month. "He said it happened that day. On that date, he told us that he touched her vaginal area.”
"From when he told me, it started at age 12 until March 30, 2003,” she added.
The defense team originally tried to get the molestation scandal from Josh's dark past barred from being used in court on the basis that it wasn't relevant to the charges against him.
However, the prosecution insisted that the molestation claims — which came to light in a 2006 police report — proved "sexual interest in minor" girls and was ultimately allowed as evidence in the case.
Infidelity & A Porn Addiction
The already-embattled reality star made headlines for yet another scandal in 2015 after it was revealed that he had not one but two paid accounts on the adult cheating website Ashley Madison.
The shocking findings showed that he had spent more than a year perusing the site for women willing to have a sexual affair with him.
At the time, Josh admitted that he had "secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction," in a bombshell confession on the family website.
He also revealed that he had betrayed his wife, Anna Duggar, who stood by his side as the child molestation scandal broke, admitting that he had been "unfaithful" to her.
Josh hid his nefarious actions from his family as well. His parents expressed shock at the news of their son's repugnant choices. "When we learned of this late last night our hearts were broken," they said in a statement.
While in Washington D.C., Josh was actively working to deny civil rights to those in the LGBTQ+ community, choosing to support "traditional marriage" while actively seeking women on Ashley Madison outside of his marriage. "The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country, I was hiding my own personal failings," he said.
Josh later fled D.C. and moved back to rural Arkansas in order to avoid the spotlight. He hid out and did not make public appearances after the scandal broke.
Identity Theft Charges
After admitting to his infidelity scandal, Josh was hit with a lawsuit alleging that he had used Los Angeles-based DJ Matt McCarthy's photos for his own profiles on social media platforms including Ashley Madison and OKCupid.
The DJ claimed he was suing for damages to make up for the “anxiety, depression, embarrassment, humiliation, loss of self-esteem and extreme and severe mental anguish and emotional distress” that he experienced as a result of the mistaken identity.
The charges were ultimately dropped after the judge presiding over the case ruled in Josh's favor.