Sentencing set for Josh Duggar in federal child porn case

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A judge has set an April sentencing date for former reality TV star Josh Duggar, who was convicted last year of federal child pornography charges.

Duggar — whose family was featured on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” — was convicted of one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each count.

U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks on Tuesday scheduled Duggar’s sentencing for April 5 in Fayetteville, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock.

Federal authorities said they began investigating Duggar after a Little Rock police detective found that child porn files were being shared by a computer traced to Duggar. A federal agent testified that images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including toddlers, were downloaded in 2019 onto a computer at a car dealership Duggar owned.

Duggar’s attorneys have filed for a new trial or an acquittal. His trial attorneys had argued that someone else downloaded or uploaded the images onto the computer.