Anna Duggar gives birth to 7th child as husband, Josh, expected in court for child porn charges
Anna Duggar, the wife of ex-reality star Josh Duggar, recently announced on social media that she gave birth to their seventh child three weeks ago in late October as her husband is due in court later this month as he faces child pornography charges.
In an Instagram post this week, Anna Duggar released a picture of the infant with a caption that reads: “Meet little Madyson Lily Duggar.” She was born on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 2:39 a.m.
The newborn weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 20 inches long, according to her Instagram Story. Madyson Duggar joins siblings Mackynzie, 12; Michael, 10; Marcus, 8; Meredith, 6; Mason, 4; and Maryella, 1.
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In two weeks, the 33-year-old father and husband, Josh Duggar, will go on trial on Nov. 30. He faces two counts related to the receipt and possession of child pornography, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 fines.
Josh Duggar is the eldest born child into a family of over 19 children from his ultra-conservative Baptist Christian parents: Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. The Duggars all starred in the now-canceled reality television show “19 Kids and Counting.”
The family’s reality show was removed from TLC network in 2015 after it was revealed that Josh Duggar had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter. His parents later confirmed that he had admitted to fondling and apologized. The show had 10 consecutive seasons since 2008 until its cancellation in May of 2015.
Although his sisters never pressed charges, he is now potentially facing decades in prison for allegedly having over 200 images of child porn on his technological devices.
It's been alleged that the children in the images range from the age of 18 months to 12 years old.
“This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
“Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood [arrange] federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office concluded.
The evidence against Duggar involves two separate computers, one of which contained child pornography and another with collaborative evidence, Fox News reports, citing a government response to a motion over the summer to postpone the trial.
On April 29, Duggar was arrested by federal agents in Arkansas. A day after the arrest, he was indicted on federal child porn charges. A virtual Zoom hearing was held in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
Duggar pleaded not guilty. He is being represented by attorney Travis W. Story.
Duggar will attend a Nov. 18 pre-trial conference while he awaits his Nov. 30 court date, Fox News reports.
“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,” wrote Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar in a statement released in April.
“It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”
In May 2015, Josh Duggar resigned from his lobbyist role at the socially conservative organization Family Research Council following the revelation that he sexually molested his sisters when he was younger.
In August 2015, Josh Duggar confessed that he had cheated on his wife and is battling pornography addiction. At the time, he willingly entered a long-term rehabilitation facility for what he deemed a porn addiction, his parents confirmed.
The week before, the then-27-year-old Josh Duggar issued an online apology in which he stated that he was “the biggest hypocrite ever.” His apology came after it was revealed that he had subscribed to extramarital affair website AshleyMadison.com after millions of customer records were hacked and publicized.
Despite not specifying the rehabilitation center their son had checked into or how long he would be receiving help in 2015, the Duggar parents shared at the time they believed their son would have “a long journey toward wholeness and recovery.”
“We pray that in this he comes to complete repentance and sincere change,” the Baptist couple said at the time. “We are deeply grieved by his actions, which have brought great insult to the values and faith we hold dear.”
