Reality TV star Josh Duggar convicted of possession of child pornography

(CNN) – A jury found reality TV star Josh Duggar guilty Thursday of receiving child pornography and possession of child pornography, according to a ruling filed in the Fayetteville Division of the Western District of Arkansas of the United States District Court.

“We appreciate the lengthy deliberations of the jury, we respect the verdict of the jury, and we intend to appeal,” said Justin Gelfand, Duggar’s attorney, in a statement to CNN.

Duggar was arrested April 29 and indicted April 30 on federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas. He allegedly downloaded material depicting the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, the United States attorney’s office said in a statement. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Homeland Security Special Agent Gerald Faulkner testified about Duggar’s investigation.

Faulkner detailed to the court that pornography containing young children was found on a desktop computer at Duggar’s business in Springdale, Arkansas.

One of the files, according to Faulkner, showed children between 18 months and 12 years old. Faulkner said that in his 11 years as a researcher those images are “among the five worst I’ve ever had to examine.”

Who is Josh Duggar?

Duggar is the eldest son of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, whose large family and devoted and conservative Christian upbringing were the subject of the TLC show “19 Kids and Counting.” The show was canceled in 2015 following allegations that Josh Duggar sexually abused girls as a teenager. He was never charged in connection with those allegations.

That same year, Duggar admitted that he had used Ashley Madison, a website designed to help married people cheat on their spouses, after her name was revealed when the website was hacked.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar posted a statement on their family website about the “very serious allegations” their son faces.

“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time. The allegations brought against Joshua today are very serious. We pray that the truth, no matter what, will come out and that all of this is resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and we continue to pray for her family, “they said.

CNN’s Gregory Lemos, Jamiel Lynch, Dakin Andone, Eric Levenson, and Amir Vera contributed to this report.