Jinger Duggar says Josh’s molestation scandal was ‘worst trial in family history’ in new book before child porn arrest
JINGER Duggar admitted her troubled brother Josh’s molestation scandal back in 2006 was the “worst trial in family history” before he was arrested and charged with two counts of child pornography.
In , 27, and her husband Jeremy Vuolo’s new book, , she wrote about when her older brother , now 33, molested five underage girls as a teen in a 2006 police report.
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Jinger explained how when the incident became public, Jim Bob gathered his children to tell them “the worst trial in our family history, a trial we had long since dealt with and made our peace with, was now public knowledge.”
She wrote: “I felt shell-shocked, as if a bomb had exploded. I moved in a daze, living in a nightmare that I wished with all my heart wasn’t real.”
Jinger then explained: “One of my siblings had made some sinful choices, but it had all been years ago. It had been awful, but we had dealt with it as a family. We’d sought the Lord, took the necessary steps to move toward healing, and offered up our forgiveness.
“Now that it was out in public, the old wound was open again, raw, painful.”
Jinger said how Jim Bob packed up the family and stayed with friends for two weeks to get out of the spotlight.
She said of fearing “fallout” from the scandal: “That goes without saying when you lead a public life. I just didn’t know how far it would go. What would happen to us? How in the world would we get through this?”
, 33, then wrote how the scandal postponed his courtship with Jinger.
He penned: “I hoped to visit with Ben and Jessa over the summer, but after the bombshell news Jessa learned the night I was there, I soon realized that wasn’t possible. The family was caught up in a whirlwind that kept them reeling for months.
“I tried to encourage Ben as hate continued to pour out over social media, as TLC canceled the family’s TV show, and as another shocking crisis hit later that summer involving one of the siblings.”
In 2015, In Touch Weekly uncovered a 33-page Arkansas police report claiming Jim Bob confessed to local authorities that his in the Duggar family home.
Following the allegations against him, Josh addressed the claim: "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.”
Josh was never charged with any crime related to the incidents.
His younger sisters , 29, and , 28, came forward as two of the victims in an interview with , where they insisted they had .
TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting, as they returned with Counting On, which continues to air today.
Just three months later, the former TLC star admitted to using adultery dating service Ashley Madison.
He said: "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.”
Then, porn star Danica Dillon, whose real name is Ashley Johnston, claimed he .
Josh has always denied the alleged assault.
Despite the scandals, Josh’s wife Anna has , as .
, 32, announced she is in April with a gender reveal video.
The Sun previously broke Josh was at 1:15 pm on Thursday.
An insider claimed Josh "turned himself in" without incident.
The arrest is related to the 2019 Homeland Security raid on Josh's , another source told The Sun.
In November 2019, Homeland Security conducted an “ongoing federal investigation” at the lot, but against Josh - until now.
A source exclusively told The Sun of patriarch , 55, his wife , 54, 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.
"Family members are extremely concerned by what is happening and they just want to find out the truth.
"They know that this will put them in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and are stunned they are having to go through this again.”
Josh .
He remains in jail and has a hearing on Wednesday to determine if he could be released on bail, as the government requested he remain behind bars.
If released, the judge said Josh must reside with a third party.
She said at the hearing: "The court would likely require a third party custodian that he could reside with that would ensure compliance with the conditions of bond.
"It would need to be a residence where there are no minors in the home. You would need to look for somebody who could ensure to the court that there are no minors in the home or would not be visiting unsupervised.”
According to the indictment, Josh between or about May 14, 2019 and on or about May 16, 2019.
For the second count, Duggar “knowingly possessed material that contained images of child pornography,” including “images of minors under the age of 12.”
According the Department of Justice, Duggar “allegedly used the internet to download child sexual abuse material. Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12, in May 2019.”
If convicted, he could receive 20 years in prison with fines up to $250,000 on each count.
The that read: “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.”
But Jinger was not as forgiving as she was in the past, as she and Jeremy : "We are disturbed to hear the charges against Josh.
"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."
A source told The Sun of how : "It's been a very tough time for them as a family, what with welcoming a new baby during a pandemic and now Josh's arrest.
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"They have been very outspoken about him being charged, they want nothing to do with him, and don't want his issues to get in the way of their life in California. They feel enough is enough.
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"They stopped recording their podcast some months ago as they were very overwhelmed juggling family life with their lifestyle brand and book release.
"They are working on new episodes now and are happy about its evolution."
