Prosecutors Want Josh Duggar to Spend 20 Years in Federal Prison

Federal prosecutors want former “19 Kids and Counting” star Josh Duggar to spend 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of child pornography possession charges, court documents obtained by Heavy show. Duggar and his family starred on the TLC reality show from 2008 to 2015 and he has been at the center of several controversies before his conviction in December 2021.

The 20-year sentence requested by prosecutors is the maximum Duggar could face when he is sentenced on May 25, 2022, in Arkansas federal court, according to federal sentencing guidelines. A judge will determine his sentence. The charges technically carry the potential of up to life in prison. Along with their written recommendations, prosecutors and Duggar’s attorneys will present arguments and witnesses during a hearing on May 25.

Duggar’s attorneys have also filed court documents requesting a lesser sentence and several supporters have written letters asking U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks for leniency. His lawyers have asked Brooks to sentence Duggar to five years in prison, along with a period of supervised release as a registered sex offender.

Duggar, one of 19 children of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, is a 34-year-old father of seven. His wife, Anna Duggar, wrote a letter to the judge asking for a “fair sentence.” Duggar’s mother also wrote a letter to the judge asking for a “fair and just sentence.” Both said Josh Duggar still has the support of family and friends and asked that their family be reunited as soon as possible.

Duggar was arrested on federal charges in April 2021 and found guilty of eight charges by a jury in December. Duggar, who had at one point worked as the executive director of the conservative Family Research Council political action committee, was at the center of a scandal in 2015 when it was revealed he had molested underage girls, including family members, when he was a teen, according to The Washington Post.

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