JOSH Duggar is a former television personality best known for his appearance in the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On.
Josh is the eldest child of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's 19 children.
The Sun can exclusively report that Josh, 33, has been arrested and jailed in Arkansas on April 29.
The bombshell bust comes just six years after claims he molested five girls as a teen.
The Sun exclusively learned that fired reality star Josh was taken into custody on April 29 in Arkansas.
The incident is related to the 2019 Homeland Security raid on his now-shuttered used car dealership in Springdale, Arkansas, a source claimed.
Read our Josh Duggar live blog for the latest on his arrest…
- John Hall
JOSH ATTENDED A CHRISTIAN PROGRAM FOLLOWING THE MOLESTATION ALLEGATIONS
After it was surfaced in his family in mid-2002 and then by March 2003 that Josh had allegedly molested girls while he was a 14-year-old, his parents Jim Bob and Michelle had sent Josh to a Christian program to reflect on his actions.
He attended the program from March 17, 2003 to July 17, 2003, where he was required to do physical work and received counseling.
However, when interviewed 12 years after the incident when an Intouch report broke the story, Josh's mom Michelle said she did not consider the program to be a legitimate training center.
When Josh returned home, he "apologized" to the girls. heis alleged of molesting, and said they had "forgiven him."
- John Hall
WHO ARE THE FOUR SISTERS JOSH IS ALLEGED TO HAVE MOLESTED?
Josh Duggar confessed to molesting a number of girls when he was 14 years old, but police never pressed charges as reports of the allegations had come out over a decade since it happened, exceeding the statute of limitations.
However, police documents from the 2002 police filing indicated Josh is alleged to have molested four of his sisters.
They were identified as Jessa Duggar, Jill Duggar, Joy-Anna Duggar and Jinger Duggar.
Their father Jim Bob apparently took action into his own hands, when in March 2003 he "met with the elders of his church and told them what was going on" but stopped short of alerting the police.
- John Hall
WHY DIDN'T JOSH DUGGAR FACE CHARGES FOR HIS ALLEGED MOLESTATION?
Josh Duggar was accused of molesting five girls when he was a teen in the early 2000s.
Josh confessed to molestation in 2002 when he, as a 14-year-old, allegedly fondled the breasts and genitals of several victims while they slept in the Duggar's home.
He also allegedly molested a girl who sat on his lap, placing his hand beneath her dress while in the family's laundry room.
However, he was never charged with a crime for the alleged molestations, apparently because Arkansas police cited the statute of limitations for prosecuting the crimes had expired.
His dad Jim Bob told police he sent Josh to a Christian counseling program for a few months, where he "did manual labor and had counseling."
- Olivia Burke
WHO ARE JOSH DUGGAR'S SISTERS JESSA AND JILL?
Jill and Jessa are very close in age – with the former being the older sister aged 29 and the latter being 28.
They both shot to fame on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting, and the Duggar's spin-off show Counting On.
While Jill is estranged from her family, Jessa is still very much part of it, but the two sisters remain close.
Both women are moms – Jill has two kids and Jessa has three, with another one on the way.
Neither sister is yet to comment on Josh's April 2021 arrest.
- Olivia Burke
WHO IS JOSH DUGGAR'S WIFE ANNA?
Josh Duggar married Anna Renee Keller on September 26, 2008 after meeting at a homeschooling convention in 2006.
Anna appeared on 19 Kids and Counting which ran for seven years from 2008 to 2015 when it was canceled.
The show was TLC’s most popular, averaging 2.3 million viewers per new episode in Season 10.
Anna and Josh have six children together, three daughters and three sons, and she recently confirmed she is pregnant with their seventh child.
- Olivia Burke
WHY HAS DUGGAR BEEN ARRESTED?
The charges are related to the 2019 Homeland Security raid on his now-shuttered used car dealership in Springdale, Arkansas, a source told The Sun.
In November 2019, Homeland Security Investigations conducted an “ongoing federal investigation” at the lot, but no charges were filed against Josh- until now.
A source exclusively told The Sun of patriarch Jim Bob, his wife Michelle, and their 19 children: "The family has known that this has been coming for weeks, and Josh has been preparing himself.
"They are praying together for Josh and Anna, who is standing by her husband as she always has."
- Olivia Burke
DR PHIL PREDICTED THERE WAS MORE TO 2015 SCANDAL
Talk show host Dr Phil predicted there was more to the story of Josh Duggar's 2015 molestation scandal during an appearance on The View six years ago
"What I’m really concerned about with regard to that," he began. "We have not seen the bottom of that yet. My dad used to say that for every rat you see, there’s 50 you don’t.
"To assume that everything you see is everything there is, would really be naive. I just don't believe that the whole truth has come out yet."
- Catherina Gioino
FBI NOT INVOLVED IN JOSH DUGGAR'S CASE
As people speculate the conditions surrounding Josh Duggar's arrest and detention by federal law enforcement officials on Thursday, some agencies are denying their involvement.
A spokesperson for the FBI told Buzzfeed the agency is not involved with Duggar's case.
Duggar's arrest does have something to do in connection with a 2019 Department of Homeland Security raid on his used car dealership in Arkansas.
No charges have been filed against Duggar. He is being held without bail.
- Catherina Gioino
JIM BOB AND MICHELLE WAIT TO TELL POLICE OF JOSH'S ALLEGED MOLESTATIONS
After Josh confessed to his father Jim Bob on three separate instances regarding his alleged molestations, Jim Bob and his wife Michelle sought help not from authorities but from church officials.
In 2002, then 14-year-old Josh is alleged to have molested five girls, four of whom were later identified as his sisters.
Church officials told the Duggars to send Josh to a Christian program in Little Rock that instilled hard labor with counseling.
Following the three-month program, the Duggars and Josh reported the confessed attacks to police.
Authorities then re-examined the case in 2006 following an anonymous tip they received on Arkansas' child abuse hotline, but the statute of limitations had expired.
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH TOLD HIS DAD JIM BOB THREE TIMES ABOUT HIS ALLEGED MOLESTATIONS
Josh Duggar apparently told his father, Duggar patriarch Jim Bob, about his supposed molestations on three separate instances when the teen is alleged to have committed them.
Then 14-year-old Josh is alleged to have molested five girls, four of whom his sisters, in 2002 and 2003.
Jim Bob and his wife Michelle came clean about Josh's allegations in 2015, saying they punished him after he confessed, but said his actions continued.
In March 2013, months after Josh confessed to allegedly molesting a family friend sleeping on the family's couch, he allegedly molested his 5-year-old sister.
After reportedly fondling her breasts and genitals, he ran out of the room and confessed to his father, Jim Bob told police.
Josh reportedly told his father on three separate dates of his alleged molestations before any action was taken by his parents.
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH "CRIED" TO HIS FATHER ABOUT THE MOLESTATION ALLEGATIONS
Josh Duggar, who is alleged to have molested five girls when he was 14 years old, apparently went "crying" to his father after the supposed acts.
In 2002, teen Josh allegedly told his he had snuck into his sisters' room at least four or five times a night to touch them "on the breasts and vaginal areas" as they lay sleeping.
When the InTouch report came out in June 2015, the family acknowledged that four of the victims were Josh's younger sisters.
Josh apparently had told his father he also fondled one of his sisters she slept on the couch.
He also confessed to touching a family friend who was equally sleeping on the couch.
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH ATTENDED A CHRISTIAN PROGRAM FOLLOWING THE MOLESTATION ALLEGATIONS
After it was surfaced in his family in mid-2002 and then by March 2003 that Josh had allegedly molested girls while he was a 14-year-old, his parents Jim Bob and Michelle had sent Josh to a Christian program to reflect on his actions.
He attended the program from March 17, 2003 to July 17, 2003, where he was required to do physical work and received counseling.
However, when interviewed 12 years after the incident when an Intouch report broke the story, Josh's mom Michelle said she did not consider the program to be a legitimate training center.
When Josh returned home, he "apologized" to the girls. heis alleged of molesting, and said they had "forgiven him."
- Catherina Gioino
WHO ARE THE FOUR SISTERS JOSH IS ALLEGED TO HAVE MOLESTED?
Josh Duggar confessed to molesting a number of girls when he was 14 years old, but police never pressed charges as reports of the allegations had come out over a decade since it happened, exceeding the statute of limitations.
However, police documents from the 2002 police filing indicated Josh is alleged to have molested four of his sisters.
They were identified as Jessa Duggar, Jill Duggar, Joy-Anna Duggar and Jinger Duggar.
Their father Jim Bob apparently took action into his own hands, when in March 2003 he "met with the elders of his church and told them what was going on" but stopped short of alerting the police.
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH DUGGAR SMIRKS IN MUGSHOT PHOTO
Josh Duggar, who a source exclusively told The Sun he voluntarily turned himself into federal authorities on Thursday, gave a smirk in his mugshot photo.
He is being held at the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville in Arkansas.
No charges have been filed against Duggar, with the only words listed on his arrest page as "hold for other dept."
- Catherina Gioino
WHY DIDN'T JOSH DUGGAR FACE CHARGES FOR HIS ALLEGED MOLESTATION?
Josh Duggar was accused of molesting five girls when he was a teen in the early 2000s.
Josh confessed to molestation in 2002 when he, as a 14-year-old, allegedly fondled the breasts and genitals of several victims while they slept in the Duggar's home.
He also allegedly molested a girl who sat on his lap, placing his hand beneath her dress while in the family's laundry room.
However, he was never charged with a crime for the alleged molestations, apparently because Arkansas police cited the statute of limitations for prosecuting the crimes had expired.
His dad Jim Bob told police he sent Josh to a Christian counseling program for a few months, where he "did manual labor and had counseling."
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN FEDERAL COURT TOMORROW
Josh Duggar, who a source exclusively told The Sun was arrested by federal authorities today, is expected to make an appearance in federal court tomorrow.
The shamed reality star voluntarily turned himself into federal authorities after the family had known for weeks of his impending arrest.
Charges against Duggar have yet to be revealed.
His arrest was in connection to a used car dealership he owned in Arkansas, which closely followed a raid conducted by the Department of Homeland Security in 2019.
Last year, Duggar was forced to pay $5,000 in attorney's fees and costs to Carl Echols, a man Duggar illegally a five-acre property from.
- Catherina Gioino
ANNA CALLS HER HUSBAND JOSH A "DILIGENT WORKER" BEFORE HIS ARREST
Anna defended her husband almost a week before his arrest earlier today, saying he was a "diligent worker" who "provides" for her family.
Federal authorities arrested and jailed Josh on Thursday in connection to a raid conducted by the Department of Homeland Security on his used car dealership in 2019.
A source exclusively told The Sun the family has known about the arrest for weeks.
Just six days ago, Anna defended her husband as she has through the years despite his alleged infidelity and even allegations of molestation of girls almost two decades earlier.
“Yes, my husband is a diligent worker and provides well for our family,” Anna, 32, replied, according to People.
Anna has not yet commented on her husband's arrest.
Her last Instagram post was shared five days ago when she announced the couple expecting a baby girl.
The baby will be their seventh child.
- Catherina Gioino
WHO IS JILL DUGGAR AND HOW IS SHE DISTANCING HERSELF FROM HER FAMILY?
Jill the fourth child and the second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, has been known to defy her parents' strict religious beliefs and has been increasingly distancing herself from her family and her 18 other siblings.
She has become estranged from her family recently after she and her husband Derick stepped away from their strict conservative values.
Jill, 29, shared a sweet 15-minute video of Israel's first day of kindergarten where she and husband Derick Dillard took him to school and then went back to pick him up.
The 5-year-old seemed very excited to be starting school and even waved his mom off as she delivered him to his teacher.
Following his first day at school, fans praised the mom for signing up her son for school.
One fan wrote: "I hope Israel loves going to school."
And a third said: "I think it's awesome you are sending him to school and going against the grain of you family values! You do you, you're doing great and following your gut."
This isn't the first time that Jill has gone her own route as she recently promoted her rebel cousin Amy’s risqué clothing line by wearing a leopard, tie-die and floral loungewear short sets while also showing off a maxi dress.
Jill has butted heads with her parents Jim Bob, 55, and Michelle, 53, as Derick claimed they are also banned from the family compound when Jill's father isn't there.
Derick exclusively told The Sun: “I think he’s mainly worried about the influence we might have on his children.”
He also claimed that Jim Bob had tried to force him to sign an NDA in 2019 but that "the truth" was more important, and that the show had "begged" Jill and Derick to return but they refused.
He recalled: “We were humiliated and threatened when we first tried to not film.
- Catherina Gioino
JILL DUGGAR DEFIES STRICT DAD JIM BOB AND WEARS SHORT SHORTS AFTER JOSH IS ARRESTED
Hours after her brother Josh was arrested, Jill Duggar posted an Instagram story of her wearing short shorts – in complete defiance of her strict Christian father Jim Bob.
The former Counting On star has rebelled against her family's austere rules in recent years, which has led to an ongoing feud with her parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.
"These shorts are supers fun and nice and springy so check them out!" Jill wrote on Instagram with shorts that were just slightly above the knee.
Jill, 29, was modeling a clothes haul as part of a sponsored post and showed off various outfits including a pair of short shorts, and several dresses that finished above the knee.
The mom-of-two and her husband, Derick Dillard, have become increasingly estranged from the rest of the Duggar family over the years as they continue to revolt against the strict rules of the family’s church.
Jill and her husband Derick have engaged in behaviors such as drinking and sending their children to public school.
And the couple has even spoken publicly about their sex life, emphasizing the divide between Jill and the rest of her family.
- Catherina Gioino
WHY DID FEDERAL AUTHORITIES RAID JOSH'S USED CAR DEALERSHIP?
Josh Duggar's arrest by federal authorities today is linked to a 2019 raid on his used car dealership in Springdale, Arkansas.
In November 2019, Homeland Security Investigations conducted an “ongoing federal investigation” at the lot, but no charges were filed against Josh- until now.
Josh’s car business, Wholesale Motorcars, in Springdale, Arkansas is listed on Google as “permanently closed.”
No charges against Josh or the business were ever filed.
In 2018, RadarOnline.com reported Josh was found in violation of an ordinance requiring his car business to have a permit.
Josh was allegedly notified of the issue three times before he resolved the problem.
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH DUGGAR DENIES AN ALLEGED ASSAULT WITH PORN STAR
In November 2015, porn star, Ashley Johnston, also known by her stage name Danica Dillon, accused Josh Duggar of sexually assaulting her.
Johnston accused him in a lawsuit and interviews of choking, spitting and calling her "worthless" during rough intercourse. She eventually dropped the lawsuit, with Duggar always denying the allegations.
She alleged that they met in March 2015, at a Philadelphia strip club, where she was then working and that Josh paid her $600 for lap dances before inviting her to his room.
In a exclusive interview with The Sun, Johnston, 33, said she has always told the truth about the alleged assault, which she described as being so intense it felt "like this guy tried to kill me," according to the lawsuit.
Months before Johnston accused Duggar for sexually assaulting her, news broke that the Duggar had paid a Ashley Madison Account.
The then 27-year-old paid an account on service that assists married people in having affairs.
He admitted to cheating on his wife and to being addicted to porn.
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH REPORTEDLY STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE
Josh has found it hard to keep a stable job, and currently lives with Anna and his six kids in a warehouse on Jim Bob and Michelle's Arkansas property, The Sun exclusively reported.
A source said: “There's no sign of him working and he only leaves when he drives the family out in a blue minivan.
“He pulled the short straw with his living arrangements, too. His brother Joseph and his wife Kendra's log cabin is picturesque and impressive while Josh's warehouse doesn’t look like the most welcoming of places.”
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH MOVES ON POST SCANDAL
After 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled and Josh Duggar was fired from his position at Christian lobbying group the Family Research Council, the shamed reality star continued to attract negative headlines.
Just three months after the 2015 report surfaced of his alleged molestation of five girls, it surfaced that Josh was using adultery dating service Ashley Madison.
Josh said in a statement: "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 has become a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife."
Soon after, porn star Danica Dillon, whose real name is Ashley Johnston, claimed he assaulted her during a sexual encounter.
In a 2020 interview with The Sun, Ashley, 33, described the alleged incident as being so intense "it felt like this guy tried to kill me."
Ashley, now a married mom of four, said Josh "knows what he's done and has to live with his demons."
Josh has always denied the alleged assault.
- Catherina Gioino
JIM BOB AND MICHELLE DUGGAR COME CLEAN ABOUT JOSH'S ACTIONS
Patriarch and Matriarch of the 19 Duggar kids, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, came clean in 2015 when the scandal first broke of their eldest son Josh allegedly molesting several girls as a teen.
When an InTouch report broke the scandal, the two parents went to hte police to discuss their son's actions.
"Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives," they said in 2015.
"When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes and we were shocked. We had tried to teach him right from wrong.
“That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before. Even though we would never choose to go through something so terrible, each one of our family members drew closer to God.”
Outside of the show getting canceled, Josh was fired from his position at Christian lobbying group the Family Research Council.
- Catherina Gioino
JOSH DUGGAR'S WIFE ANNA PREGNANT WITH SEVENTH CHILD AS JOSH IS ARRESTED
While the whole Duggar family is praying for Josh's speedy release from bars, the arrest could not have come at a worse time for his wife Anna, who is pregnant with the couple's seventh child.
Anna, 32, and the Duggar family previously stood by Josh through his disturbing sex abuse scandal in 2015.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Josh's parents, apparently came clean to the police in 2015 and said their eldest son fondled the breasts and genitals of young girls while they were asleep in the Duggar family home back in 2002.
Their show, 19 Kids & Counting, was canceled after the scandal broke.
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