Josh Duggar’s Child Pornography Conviction Upheld By Appeals Court

A federal appeals court upheld Josh Duggar's conviction for downloading child sexual abuse images, the Associated Press reported Monday.

A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the former reality TV star's argument that a judge should have suppressed statements he made to investigators during the search that found the images.

Prosecutors said Duggar once asked agents, "What is this all about? Has somebody been downloading child pornography?" Duggar declined to say whether he had looked at such material online, comments that were later used as evidence in the trial.

Although the 19 Kids and Counting star was read his rights, the appeals panel said that the agents questioning him made it clear that he wasn't in custody and was free to leave. The panel also noted that he wasn't arrested at the end of his questioning. 

After the ruling, Duggar's attorney Justin K. Gelfand released a statement to The Messenger, saying, "We disagree with the reasoning of the Court's decision and will evaluate all options with our client." 

Back in December 2021, a federal jury convicted Duggar of downloading child pornography. Nearly five months later, he was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison. 

"Regardless of wealth, social status, or fame, our office will continue to seek out all individuals who seek to abuse children and victimize them through the downloading, possession, and sharing of child pornography," U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes said at the time.