Disgraced reality star Josh Duggar is reportedly “signing autographs” for fellow convicts to give to their families as he continues his 12-year prison sentence on child pornography charges.
When it was revealed that Josh, now 36, had been arrested for downloading nude images of girls between the ages of seven and nine in 2021, it completely shattered the wholesome on-screen image he and his family had worked so hard to build throughout their multiple TLC reality shows.
It was a fall that shocked and horrified the family’s millions of fans, but according to SunThe former television personality is still enjoying his star status while behind bars.
The publication reported earlier this week that the offender, who is currently serving his sentence at FCI Seagoville in Dallas, Texas, was “considered a celebrity” at the correctional facility.
“Josh has been signing autographs on newspaper articles about him for prisoners’ families,” a source told the outlet.
Disgraced reality star Josh Duggar reportedly ‘signs autographs’ for fellow convicts to give to his family as he continues his 12-year prison sentence on child pornography charges
Josh (seen with his wife, Anna Duggar in 2015), 36, was arrested for downloading nude images of girls between the ages of seven and nine in 2021.
Josh was arrested and charged with two counts of downloading and possession of child pornography in April 2021.
During the trial, it emerged that the married father of six had downloaded child sexual abuse material from the internet in May 2019.
A detective in charge of the case said she was able to locate two files on the computer: a zip folder containing 65 files of naked images of girls between the ages of seven and nine, and a two-minute video of a girl of a similar age being raped by an adult man.
He was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison.
He sought to overturn the guilty verdict, but the U.S. Supreme Court denied his request last month.
Years before he was arrested for child pornography, reports surfaced claiming that Josh had sexually abused numerous minors, including four of his younger sisters.
According to a 2006 police report uncovered by InTouch Weekly In 2015, Josh’s behavior was first discovered in March 2002, when one of his younger sisters went to see Duggar patriarch Jim Bob Duggar “very upset and crying.”
The unnamed sister said Josh had sneaked into the girls’ shared bedroom and touched her breasts and genitals while she was sleeping on four occasions.
According to The Sun, the former TV personality is still enjoying his star status while behind bars. He is seen with his wife and children before his arrest.
The publication reported earlier this week that the offender, who is currently serving his sentence at FCI Seagoville (view) in Dallas, Texas, is “considered a celebrity” at the facility.
When Jim Bob confronted him, the report said Josh admitted to the incident and was “disciplined,” though the patriarch did not reveal what that entailed.
According to the report, Josh was again accused by several of his younger sisters of similar sexual touching a year later.
On one occasion, he said he was reading to a little sister on his lap when he touched her “breasts and vaginal area.”
On another occasion, he cornered one of his sisters in the laundry room and put his hand under her dress.
Jim Bob and his wife, Michelle Duggar, initially did not go to police and kept the abuse allegations and Josh’s confessions secret until they received a complaint about Josh’s behavior to the Arkansas State Police child abuse hotline three years later, forcing them to take action.
Finally speaking to authorities on December 12, 2006, Jim Bob said that when he learned what his son was doing, he “met with the elders of his church and told them what was going on.”
They suggested a private treatment program at Vista Hospital, but Jim Bob was concerned that Josh “would be exposed to other criminals and other things they didn’t want him to be exposed to.”
Instead, he was sent to a Christian program consisting of “hard physical labor and counseling” from March 17, 2003, to July 17, 2003.
Jim Bob and Michelle also told local police that Josh had “apologized” to his victims and said they had “forgiven” him, and when he returned, they believed the issue had been “resolved.”
Josh’s arrest shattered the wholesome on-screen image he and his family had worked so hard to build throughout their multiple TLC reality shows.
He sought to have his guilty verdict overturned, but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request last month. He is seen at his trial with his wife in 2021.
When Josh returned home from the Christian counseling program, his parents asked him to speak to Arkansas State Police Trooper Jim Hutchens, who gave him a “very stern talking to.”
Jim was later jailed on child pornography charges and has been in prison since 2007. He was sentenced to 56 years.
When the police report describing Josh’s transgressions was made public in 2015, two of his sisters, Jill and Jessa, came forward as two of his victims.
Later in 2017, two more sisters, Jinger and Joy, were identified as the other victims in a lawsuit.
When Jim Bob, Michelle, Jill and Jessa sat down for an interview with Megyn Kelly to discuss what happened in 2015, some viewers were alarmed by the way the parents tried to downplay their son’s behavior.
“He was still a kid, you know, and he was still a juvenile. He wasn’t an adult,” Jim Bob said. “Kids make their own decisions.
“(Josh) had come in and basically touched them over their clothes while they were sleeping,” she continued, adding that there were “a couple of incidents where he touched them under their clothes, but it was like a few seconds.”
‘God can forgive (Josh) for these terrible things, I hope other people realize that God can forgive them and also make them a new creation.’
He also seemed to imply that it was common for a brother to abuse his sisters, saying: “We spoke to other parents and since then, many families have said that similar things have happened in their families.”
According to a 2006 police report, Josh previously admitted to inappropriately touching his sisters Jill (second from right), Jessa (center), Jinger (second from left) and Joy (left).
It was later revealed that his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, kept Josh’s abuse allegations and confessions a secret until a tip was received by police three years later.
“I think we had a ray of hope because Josh had a tender conscience,” Michelle added.
They also insisted they had “put security measures in place at their home” to prevent anything similar from happening again, including not allowing the boys to be alone with the girls and telling the “little ones” not to sit on the “big kids'” laps unless it was their dad.
The Duggar family had their own reality show, 17 Kids and Counting, in 2008. The series, which would later be renamed twice to account for the birth of three more children, quickly captivated the nation and became immensely popular.
What probably sparked the world’s interest was the incredibly strict set of rules the parents set for their 19 children.
Jim Bob and Michelle are members of a Christian group led by rejected minister Bill Gothard, which contained teachings that children should be homeschooled, dressed modestly, and avoid all contact with the opposite sex before marriage.
Nearly every aspect of the kids’ lives was controlled by Jim Bob and Michelle: they read their text messages, told them what they could watch on TV and what music they could listen to, and even had a say in who they were friends with.
The show continued for 10 seasons before ending in 2015, however, later that year, a spin-off titled Counting On premiered, which aired for another 11 seasons before being cancelled amid Josh’s arrest.
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