Mom Michelle Duggar Seeks Leniency For Josh Duggar Following Child Pornography Conviction

Michelle Duggar is requesting leniency for her son, Josh Duggar, after prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence following his conviction on federal child pornography charges.

The reality TV matriarch and mom of the disgraced star penned a letter to Judge Timothy L. Brooks of the Western District of Arkansas Federal Court pleading for mercy ahead of her son’s sentencing, according to People. The request comes at the heels of federal prosecutors seeking the maximum 20-year-sentence for Duggar, who was found guilty in December of receiving and possessing child pornography.

Michelle Duggar, 55, asked the judge to be “fair and just,” claiming she wanted to “share some things about Joshua’s character that may not be fully known to the court.”

“Joshua has always been a positive and upbeat person,” Michelle wrote, according to People. “He is a good provider for his family, working diligently and thinking of creative ways to support and take care of his wife and children. He is also generous and shares his resources with others in need.”

Michelle characterized her son as someone with a “tender heart” who is “compassionate toward others.”

Michelle added that the defendant is financially wise, organized and “has set a good example of applying himself eagerly to his work and in many other responsibilities that he carries as a husband and father.”

Josh Duggar shares seven children with his wife, Anna, who has supported her husband through his legal woes. Attorneys have said that Anna was he husband's so-called "accountability partner" on an app he used to he tried to overcome his admitted addiction to pornography, which he announced in 2015, as previously reported.

Anna has said publicly that she believes her husband is innocent in the child pornography case.

Michelle Duggar said in her letter that her son is committed to his wife and children and that they have “built forts, learned how to work on bicycles and other vehicles, gone camping, hiked, fished and played countless games and sports — together!” according to People.

In May 2021, pending his trial, a judge released Josh Duggar under the condition that he not live with his wife and their kids, and that all visitation with his children be supervised by his wife, Anna, People reported at the time.

Michelle Duggar added she hopes her son can be “reunited with his wife and family in a timely manner,” while dotting her name with a heart, according to People.

Josh Duggar Photo: Washington County Sheriff's Office

Josh Duggar was arrested in April 2021 following an investigation by Homeland Security, which unearthed images containing sexual abuse against children on his computer, as previously reported.

Homeland Security Special Agent Gerald Faulkner previously called the images “in the top five of the worst of the worst that I’ve ever had to examine.”

Federal prosecutors had submitted a 30-page sentencing memo on Wednesday seeking the maximum penalty, depicting Duggar as someone with a “deep-seated, pervasive, and violent sexual interest in children.”

In their memo, prosecutors included a quote from the mother of one of the victims seen in the sexually abusive photos found on Duggar's computer.

“I can find no words to express the fury I feel at those who participate in this evil, or my scorn for any attempt to minimize the responsibility by feeble claimed that the crime was ‘victim-less,’” the mother stated. “My daughter is a real person. She was horribly victimized to provide this source of ‘entertainment.’ She is exploited anew each and every time an image of her suffering is copied, traded, or sold.”

Duggar’s defense has advocated for a five-year sentence.

The Duggar family starred in the TLC series “19 Kids and Counting” until the network axed the show in 2015 after Josh Duggar was accused of sexually abusing underage girls, including his own sisters.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 25.