(CW: Child Sexual Abuse) Josh and Anna Duggar 25: Graduated from Jesus Jail to Federal Prison

[AussieKrissy]

3 minutes ago, maple802 said:

@AussieKrissy If he's convicted, there will be a pre-sentence investigation and report prepared, which will discuss any aggravating and mitigating factors, and address relevant federal sentencing guidelines. 

Thanks. You put that so much more eloquently than me. 
I still would be curious to see what comes out of it though. 

[blackkatya]

2 minutes ago, Mela99 said:

@laura oz Here you go boo 

Did you guys see Aunt Lori’s reaction to this? “Oh we are innocent until proven guilty in this county and we can’t let people spread malicious lies about the poor Duggar’s” 

Not at all surprised that someone who's an apologist for marital rape also has a shitty opinion on this.

[formergothardite]

7 minutes ago, Snarkle said:

Between their Nathan Bedford Forrest house decoration to their cake for Gothard at Erin's wedding - they definitely were in the thick of things and have mostly tried to distance themselves (at least on their TV show) from that.  Of course Gil speaking at Big Sandy shows he is still swimming in the ATI goop.  Wonder if UP is in crisis response mode now as well?
Just looked at the ATI Family Conferences page on Facebook and people are downvoting the video of JB & Michelle inviting people to it and commenting has been limited.

They are rather in a sticky situation. To stay quiet makes them look really bad. But to release a statement condemning Josh is bound to remind people that Gil and Kelly currently help run a cult that blames children who a sexually abused for their abuse. There is no way they had a clue this was about to come out or they wouldn’t have allowed the Duggars to speak at the conference. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

4 minutes ago, FiveAcres said:

I have a deep strain of cynicism that I attribute to being neglected and psychologically abused by those who should have protected me as a child. (I also had some great adults in my life, which is probably why I am in a pretty good place despite it all.) So my default setting is that mothers  don't always protect their children at all costs. That is why Anna disgusts me, but doesn't surprise me. 

I'm sorry that when I read this paragraph and thought, "are you me?" that is was over the same emotional scars.  

We deserved better.  The countless people who share these scars with us deserved better.   Jill, Jinger, Joy, and Jessa deserved better.  The M kids deserve better now.  

IMO defending Anna is to betray every child who was left unprotected, once again putting prioritizing the feelings of adults with options over trapped kids.  But Anna may one day learn is that some of these kids grow up and realize they no longer need to be treated as an afterthought.  They find their voices.

Here's to the J girls and the M kids finding theirs.

 

 

 

[theologygeek]

I saw it on twitter and almost fell over.  In jail without bail!  Good I'm glad.  What a pig.  And he's smiling in that mugshot!  Just want to slap that smirk off his face.  I hope Anna never lets him near the kids.  That is disgusting.  

[Funwithfundies]

6 hours ago, llucie said:

She is a cousin on Michelle side and she was pictured in the background of a lot of Duggars pictures in the big house and in Anna instagram she appeared also in pictures in the warehouse, like helping her cook and stuff like that. This led to speculation on if she was also living with the Duggars like Tyler. Some people even though she may have been a "mothers helper" helping Anna (because she usually was next to Anna in pictures). Then Anna just scrubbed all pictures she had with the girl in her instagram one day, but she is still around. I think in that thanksgiving video Jessa recorded for her yt channel this fall she was in there with her mother.

I'm too far behind - thanks for answering a question that I will ask in 5 hours! ?

[Smee]

2 hours ago, Joe Pukepail said:

I never should have attempted to participate in this thread, and I wish I didn't have actual knowledge to back up my claims. I'm bowing out now,but I do want to make explicitly clear that I don't think there's anything accidental about what Josh has done, and I believe this will be borne out in the legal proceedings. I think he's a predator and a piece of shit. I just can't speak in absolutes about "all" people who are charged with this type of crime anymore. I wish I were still able to believe that no matter what, justice would prevail.

To be clear: regardless of what I think about how some people may end up being convicted of this crime, I don't think Josh was doing anything other than exactly what we've all feared since the previous incident. Josh is not a victim here, and while there are exceptions to the rule that anyone possessing illegal images must have done so intentionally, Josh is not an exception. I hope he goes to prison for a long, long time. Fuck Josh, fuck Jim Bob and Michelle. 

I'm going to try to stay away from this thread because I am finding it too upsetting to continue participating. I'm sorry to anyone I rubbed the wrong way. 

Thank you for clarifying this. Whether you’re right about your friend or not, I think there’s far too much in Josh’s history and character to believe this could in any way have been accidental. His five year old sister... ? I was one who thought that was a crime of opportunity, and that as an adult out of JB’s house, Josh’s toxic misogyny would only be directed at adult women. I was wrong. Very wrong. For everyone’s safety, he needs to be put away for as long as possible.

[VanillaBean]

Each of the charges carries a maximum 20-year sentence.  I don't know what the minimumm is,  but as a first-time offender (well, no prior conviction), he'll probably get less than the max. The sentences can run either consecutively or concurrently; the judge will decide  that. No matter what, I don't see him getting less than 5 years.

The PSR will discuss his past history,  but as he was a juvenile and never charged,  I'm not sure how much weight his history will have. We also don't know what they found on his computer,,  how much,  how awful it is (it's all awful, of course) and how he got it. Those things may also factor in.

 

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

2 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

They are rather in a sticky situation. To stay quiet makes them look really bad. But to release a statement condemning Josh is bound to remind people that Gil and Kelly currently help run a cult that blames children who a sexually abused for their abuse. There is no way they had a clue this was about to come out or they wouldn’t have allowed the Duggars to speak at the conference. 

They also have the very real problem that's going to come from web site stats of all places.  

Most people will see this news and oh that pedo that was on that show with the big family and move on.  But many more will be curious over the next few days what kind of cult that was, or what weird religion the scumbag was and they're going to google.  And it's not to many clicks until you see that other big TV family - the ones who are better looking and seem slightly less weird are involved in the same thing.  

More people will be learning about Gothard in the next few days than maybe in the last two years.  Not most people, but a lot more.  If I were Gil and Kelly I'd be hoping another unrelated scandal hit very soon as a distraction.

[DaysAgo]

Dear Anna, Joshua being charged with possession of child pornography HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! This is NOT YOUR FAULT! He must take ownership of his actions and deal with the harsh consequences coming his way.

< redacted > hurt his sisters and a babysitter. And he hurt you,. And he hurt others by stealing their identity and having sex outside marriage. He hurt many women by viewing pornography,. And he allegedly hurt countless numbers of children by viewing them engaged in illegal sex acts.

NONE OF THIS IS YOUR FAULT.

Please take your children now for your safety, their safety and the safety of your unborn child. Take them far away. Get professional therapy for yourself and your kids. You all deserve a healthy and happy and safe future. Just please go. Please. HIS ACTIONS ARE NOT YOUR FAULT! Please, just go and be safe.

Edited May 1, 2021 by HerNameIsBuffy
redacting baseless speculation stated as fact

[Howl]

1 hour ago, frugalitymom said:

If Josh is given a bond who will bail him out?

That's the big question. I don't think anyone will step forward -- whoever bails him out won't look good, and there has to be incredible resentment among the Duggars because there's a good chance he's killed the cash cow. 

Yes, if he's not in jail he can work, but who would buy cars from someone who is credibly accused of downloading child porn?  

Anna will need every penny available to support herself and the kids.  She's going to pump out another sprog in the fall -- at a minimum she has to make sure her health insurance stays current. 

In a normal situation, Anna would be desperate to determine if her husband has molested any of their children, consulting with SECULAR child psychologists and having the kids evaluated. But in their stunted Gothard world, that won't happen unless mandated by the court. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

1 hour ago, onekidanddone said:

Well he tried to make a comeback after the first molestation story broke. Hell he didn’t lose his job after it went public. It was when the Ashley Madison stuff went public.  

He lost his job (technically he resigned) in May 2015, after the molestation scandal. The FRC issued a statement denouncing him after the Ashley Madison scandal that August, but he no longer worked there. He’s never really tried to come back, beyond looking miserable in the background of family members’ social media posts.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

2 minutes ago, VanillaBean said:

I'm not sure how much weight his history will have.

I don't know if it will be officially taken into account, no ideas what the legalities are if never charged, but admitted it publicly.  As he put it out there perhaps they are allowed to consider it.

This would be a federal judge correct?  They are political animals and since Josh's past crimes are common knowledge the judge may silently factor political ramifications whatever they are in AR.

And if this were an elected judge damn sure they would factor his past in mentally as to not piss off their majority.

[blackkatya]

1 minute ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

This would be a federal judge correct?  They are political animals and since Josh's past crimes are common knowledge the judge may silently factor political ramifications whatever they are in AR.

And if this were an elected judge damn sure they would factor his past in mentally as to not piss off their majority.

I think federal judges have lifetime appointments. They definitely aren't elected. So hopefully that'll take any potential politics out of it.

[Shouldabeenacowboy]

I hope he is convicted, thrown in jail indefinitely, and they let his jail mates know what he did. 

[sixcatatty]

My experience is Kentucky based, but in the case I had, the Kentucky State Police worked closely with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which keeps a database of children and images. It's been a couple of years, but of the 25 images in my case, NCMEC said several were known, as were victims.

In any event, all of that investigation takes time.

https://www.missingkids.org/home

[VanillaBean]

7 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I don't know if it will be officially taken into account, no ideas what the legalities are if never charged, but admitted it publicly.  As he put it out there perhaps they are allowed to consider it.

This would be a federal judge correct?  They are political animals and since Josh's past crimes are common knowledge the judge may silently factor political ramifications whatever they are in AR.

And if this were an elected judge damn sure they would factor his past in mentally as to not piss off their majority.

Yes, federal judge with a lifetime appointment.  I actually think it's far more likely that Josh will negotiate a plea agreement, including a proposed sentence. The judge will likely accept that unless it's way outside reasonable. 

[Expectopatronus]

Not American so I don’t know; are not all judges appointed to the bench? If judges are elected and depend on votes to remain as a judge, how do you ensure that bias or pandering to constituents doesn’t occur? 

[Mela99]

Okay I cannot figure out how to post them but an Arkansas news station posted the court sketches of him on zoom and I am absolutely howling 

[frugalitymom]

Now it seems awkward to think of how she would be thrilled if the newest was born on their anniversary. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by frugalitymom

[postscript]

18 minutes ago, Expectopatronus said:

Not American so I don’t know; are not all judges appointed to the bench? If judges are elected and depend on votes to remain as a judge, how do you ensure that bias or pandering to constituents doesn’t occur? 

It depends on the court system and the specific state/county.  Federal judges are appointed for life.  The appointments tend to be political, with the party in power controlling appointments.  However, once in office, federal judges often rule based on personal convictions, but they're not bound to a political party. Federal judges can and often do go rogue after appointment. 

State court judges are either appointed or elected, depending on the state.  In my county, which is one of the largest in the country, state court judges are elected and periodically have to run for retention.  If a judge steps down, the chief judge will appoint someone to replace them, who will ultimately have to run to keep their seat. They have to declare a political party to run, but they run unopposed so it's a referendum on whether they keep their seat.  The local bar associations put out lists of who they recommend and don't recommend, but most people pay little attention to judicial elections and either don't vote or vote yes across the board, so it's rare a judge will be voted out. 

This is just one state.  Other states have very different systems.  

 

Not to say political bias doesn't occur in the judiciary. It absolutely does. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by postscript
Added a thought.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

On 4/30/2021 at 3:35 PM, DaysAgo said:

Dear Anna, Joshua being charged with possession of child pornography HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! This is NOT YOUR FAULT! He must take ownership of his actions and deal with the harsh consequences coming his way.

<redacted> hurt his sisters and a babysitter. And he hurt you,. And he hurt others by stealing their identity and having sex outside marriage. He hurt many women by viewing pornography,. And he allegedly hurt countless numbers of children by viewing them engaged in illegal sex acts.

NONE OF THIS IS YOUR FAULT.

Please take your children now for your safety, their safety and the safety of your unborn child. Take them far away. Get professional therapy for yourself and your kids. You all deserve a healthy and happy and safe future. Just please go. Please. HIS ACTIONS ARE NOT YOUR FAULT! Please, just go and be safe.

He was hurt in childhood, likely by someone in his home?  How do you know this?  

Unless you can link to evidence of this it's speculation, stated as fact and we don't do that here.

Edited May 6, 2021 by hoipolloi
Removed previously redacted material from quote

[Jaedzia]

12 minutes ago, Mela99 said:

Okay I cannot figure out how to post them but an Arkansas news station posted the court sketches of him on zoom and I am absolutely howling 

 

[Bluebirdbluebell]

13 minutes ago, Expectopatronus said:

Not American so I don’t know; are not all judges appointed to the bench? If judges are elected and depend on votes to remain as a judge, how do you ensure that bias or pandering to constituents doesn’t occur? 

Not voting for the judges doesn't seem to make them less political since they are appointed by elected leaders. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

13 minutes ago, Expectopatronus said:

Not American so I don’t know; are not all judges appointed to the bench? If judges are elected and depend on votes to remain as a judge, how do you ensure that bias or pandering to constituents doesn’t occur? 

It absolutely does occur.  I am not defending the system, it's terrible, but there is no way to ensure that and it's the status quo at least where i live.