The disgraced reality star was found guilty on charges related to the receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography in December 2021 and sentenced to 151 months behind bars last May.
- Mar 18, 2023
AceShowbiz - Josh Duggar has to stay longer behind bars. The disgraced reality star's 12-year prison sentence for child pornography charges has been extended for almost two additional months.
The former "19 Kids and Counting" star, who was convicted on child pornography charges in 2021, originally had a release date of August 12, 2032. Earlier this week, online prison records for him on the Federal Bureau of Prisons website indicated that his release was pushed back until August 22, 2032. However, the records now cite his release date as October 2, 2032.
The sentence extension arrived as Josh reportedly remains in solitary confinement, where he was placed after allegedly being caught last month with a contraband cell phone. The 35-year-old TV personality has been serving his sentence at the low-security federal prison FCI Seagoville near Dallas.
Back in December 2021, Josh, was arrested in April that year, was found guilty on one count receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography by a jury in Arkansas. The former reality star, who has maintained his innocence, was sentenced in May 2022.
In addition to the prison sentence, Josh was fined $10,000 and ordered to be placed on 20 years of supervised release after serving time. He will also be required to participate in a sex offender treatment program upon release.
Lawyers for Josh are currently seeking to reverse his conviction. During a federal appeals court hearing in February, they argued that investigators violated his rights by seizing the phone he was using to try to call his lawyer during the search that found the inappropriate images.
Since his trial, several members of Josh's family have spoken out about the legal saga. "This entire ordeal has been very grievous," his parents said in a statement in October 2021. "As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children. In each of life's circumstances, we place our trust in God. He is our source of strength and refuge."
In a recent interview with E! News, his 29-year-old sister Jinger Duggar called the trial "one of the hardest things to talk about," though she believes "justice is being served." She added, "I'm just grateful for the justice system. My heart just breaks for the victims and their families."