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Former reality-TV star Josh Duggar was convicted of child-pornography possession on Thursday.
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A forensic investigator called some of the content the “most offensive” he had ever seen.
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Jinger Vuolo, Josh’s younger sister, called his actions a “horrific evil” in an Instagram statement.
Jinger Vuolo got candid in a statement about her brother, Josh Duggar, 33, who was recently convicted of possession of child pornography by a federal jury in Arkansas.
On Friday, Vuolo — neé Duggar — shared a lengthy post to her Instagram account regarding her initial thoughts about the verdict, calling Josh’s behavior a “dishonor.”
“We are saddened for the victims of horrific child abuse. We are also saddened for Josh’s family, his wife and precious children,” Vuolo, 27, wrote. “We are saddened for the dishonor this has brought upon Christ’s name. Josh claims to be a Christian.”
Vuolo, the sixth oldest Duggar child and star of TLC’s”19 Kids and Counting,” wrote, “When a professing follower of Jesus is exposed as a hypocrite, the response of many will be to challenge the integrity of Jesus himself.” Vuolo also shared that she fears for her brother’s soul.
“Yet, amidst our sadness, there is gratitude. We are grateful that God is a God of justice who cares for the innocent and the helpless. And, of all the people in this world, he especially loves children, who are among the most vulnerable,” Vuolo wrote. “This reality makes the existence of sex trafficking and child abuse one of the most horrific evils imaginable. It is an evil God hates.”
Vuolo said she was “thankful to God for exposing Josh’s actions and to a legal system committed to protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty in this case.”
“We are praying for further justice, vindication, protection, and healing for all those who have been wronged,” Vuolo concluded.
Insider’s Michelle Mark and Ashley Collman reported that Duggar was convicted on Thursday and now faces up to 20 years in prison after being arrested in April 2021. Duggar initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography.
According to Insider, prosecutors accused Duggar of downloading and streaming known child-sexual abuse-material on a desktop computer at Duggar’s used-car dealership in May 2019. A federal agent testified that some of the material involved children under the age of 12, including an infant.
Josh’s defense team argued that someone else had remotely accessed the computer and downloaded the material in a “hit and run” hacking scheme.
During the trial, a child-molestation scandal that arose years prior resurfaced. A family friend who testified as a witness said she recalled that Duggar once confessed to fondling four of his sisters over and under their clothes.
The Duggar family was hit with another scandal on Friday when it was revealed that Jana Duggar, the second oldest child, was charged with child endangerment.
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