“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. In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime. But when you’re accused, you can fight back in the courtroom—and that is exactly what Josh intends to do,” Duggar’s attorneys, Justin Gelfand, Travis W. Story and Greg Payne, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. Duggar “allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas said in a press release Friday, according to Us Weekly. “Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019.” If convicted, the dad of six could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar addressed their firstborn’s arrest Friday, calling the accusations “very serious.” In a joint statement they said, “We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. 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.” Duggar was arrested Thursday, April 29. His arrest came less than a week after he and his pregnant wife Anna Duggar announced that they are expecting their seventh child together. In the comments section, Anna replied to an Instagram user who asked if Duggar worked, writing: “Yes, my husband is a diligent worker and provides well for our family.” Duggar resigned from the Family Research Council in 2015 after a 2006 police report surfaced revealing that he had been accused of molesting five minors, including four of his sisters. In a statement shared on Facebook at the time, the reality star said, “Twelve years ago, as a young teenager I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation.” He continued, “We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life. I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God’s grace, mercy and redemption.” Months later, Duggar admitted to being addicted to porn and cheating on his wife, whom he wed in 2008. “I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife,” he said in a statement, which E! News later reported was edited to remove his porn addiction. “I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him. “I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have re-broken their trust,” Duggar added. “The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country, I was hiding my own personal failings.” Duggar stated that he was “learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose to our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences.” He concluded, “I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example. I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time.” Next, Aly Raisman opens up about sexual harassment.
