This was 2022: former TLC star Josh Duggar went to prison

2022 was filled with lots of ups and downs. One of the most surprising cases in 2022 was Josh Duggar's trial and sentencing for possession of CSAM.

Photo: Washington County Jail, Arkansas

After plenty of denials and a long trial, Duggar was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for his criminal activity featuring minors. Duggar's legal team requested he be sent to the Federal Corrections Institution in Seagoville, Texas, as it would be the most accessible facility for Josh's family and friends to visit him.

Photo: By Federal Bureau of Prisons / Wikimedia

Luckily for the 34-year-old convicted felon, Judge Brooks agreed that the facility would be beneficial to Josh. It is known for having a good program for those who have committed crimes, similar to Duggar's.

Photo: NBC5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Nonetheless, while Judge Brooks has highly recommended that Duggar undergo rehabilitation while behind bars, he is not legally required to do so.

Photo: ABC News

Josh Duggar was faced with the repercussions of his actions on May 25, 2022. Duggar was sentenced to 151 months of jail time, between 12 and 13 years, for downloading horrendous images of child mistreatment.

Prior to the sentence being revealed, Dustin Roberts of the prosecution asked that Josh receive 240 months, arguing that children must be protected from Josh Duggar, adding, "He is likely to offend again."

Photo: TLC

The 34-year-old was found guilty of possessing and receiving inappropriate, illegal images of children on December 9, 2021, following a two-week trial.

Photo: Five News

Following a request by Mr. Duggar to postpone his sentencing date, which was set for April 5, Judge Timothy L Brooks (pictured) approved the request, and the sentencing date was moved to May 25, 2022.

Photo: By screenshot of video by US Senate Judiciary Committee - https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/judicial-nominations-2013-09-11, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=101705339

On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks denied Duggar's request for an acquittal or a new trial.

Photo: Five News

Duggar faced up to forty years behind bars, twenty years for each charge he was found guilty of. However, Josh Duggar's legal team requested that he only be sentenced to five years in prison.

Photo: People magazine, Youtube

Josh's lawyers presented several letters to the court, including letters from his wife, Anna Duggar, and his mother, Michelle Duggar, in which they praised his character and asked for leniency. Nonetheless, the prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence for Josh Duggar's crimes.

Photo: screenshot, TLC

The prosecutors cited the children's ages in the images Duggar downloaded and the truly graphic nature of the photographs.

They also included court testimony regarding Duggar's inappropriate behavior towards his younger sisters when he was a teenager.

In their sentencing memorandum, the federal prosecutors wrote that Duggar's behavior in the past "provides an alarming window into the extent of his s**ual interest in children that the Court should consider at sentencing."

Photo: Instagram@annaduggar

The court filing also said, "This past conduct, when viewed alongside the conduct for which he has been convicted, makes clear that Duggar has a deep-seated, pervasive, and violent s**ual interest in children, and a willingness to act on that interest."

Photo: Instagram@annaduggar

In addition, prosecutors highlighted that Josh Duggar's computer was partitioned to evade accountability software installed by his wife, Anna Duggar, set up to report searches for adult content.

Photo: TLC

"There is simply no indication that Duggar will ever take the steps necessary to change this pattern of behavior and address his predilection for minor females," prosecutors wrote.

Photo: TLC

Josh Duggar was first arrested in April 2021 after a police detective from Little Rock discovered that CSAM (horrific pictures with young children) files were shared by a computer that was traced to Josh.

Photo: screenshot News Nation Now

During his trial, investigators testified that CSAM images were downloaded in 2019 onto a computer kept at the car dealership owned by Josh Duggar.

The eldest in a large family of nineteen children, Josh Duggar, a father of seven children himself, has abused youngsters in the past.

In 2015 his family's reality show on TLC, '19 Kids and Counting', was canceled when allegations that Josh had "inappropriately touched" his younger sisters and a babysitter years before came to light.

In 2006 the authorities received a tip from a family friend and began to investigate the misconduct. However, due to the statute of limitations, the investigation was halted as any possible charges had expired.