Jinger Duggar Vuolo Says She’s ‘Disturbed’ By Child Porn Charges Against Brother Josh Duggar
By .
Jinger Duggar Vuolo has broken her silence after Josh Duggar’s child pornography arrest.
On Thursday, April 29, the reality TV star was arrested for receiving and possessing material depicting the sexual abuse of children, court documents have revealed.
RELATED: Josh Duggar Sued For Allegedly Using DJ’s Photo On His Ashley Madison Account
Jinger took to Instagram on Friday to speak out following the controversy surrounding her oldest brother.
“We are disturbed to hear of the charges against Josh,” began the “Counting On” star’s statement. “While this case must go through the legal system, we want to make it clear that we absolutely condemn any form of child abuse and fully support the authorities and judicial process in their pursuit of justice.”
Jinger’s husband Jeremy Vuolo shared the same post on his Instagram page.
Both Josh and Jinger starred in “19 Kids and Counting” before it was cancelled in 2015.
Court documents state that Josh allegedly used the Internet to download child sexual abuse material. He allegedly possessed the material, some of which depicted the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019.
If convicted, the 33-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on each count. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
#BREAKING #JoshDuggar “Duggar is charged by indictment with receiving and possessing child pornography.” pic.twitter.com/xwijXUYNyN
— Garrett Fergeson (@Garrett_Photo) April 30, 2021
RELATED: Anna Duggar Fires Back At Social Media User Questioning Whether Her Husband Josh Duggar Can Afford To Have 7 Kids
On Friday, Josh’s lawyers issued a statement.
“Josh Duggar has been charged in a two-count indictment. He has pled not guilty to both charges and we intend to defend this case aggressively and thoroughly,” said attorneys Justin Gelfand, Travis W. Story and Greg Payne.
RELATED: Josh Duggar’s Attorneys Issue Statement After Child Pornography Arrest, Vow To ‘Fight Back In The Courtroom’
“In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime,” the statement continued. “But when you’re accused, you can fight back in the courtroom — and that is exactly what Josh intends to do.”
Josh will remain in custody until May 5, when a detention hearing to seek bond will be held. A pretrial hearing is set for July 1 and a trial is then set for July 6.
The docs continued, “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. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: www.justice.gov/psc.”
Josh also has a civil lawsuit filed against him for real estate fraud.
