The Supreme Court has declined an appeal from a former reality television star, known for his appearance on the show '19 Kids and Counting,' who was convicted of downloading child sexual abuse images. The court did not provide further details on the denial, which is standard procedure.
The case against the individual, who was found to have downloaded images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including toddlers, onto a computer at a car dealership he owned, originated from an investigation by federal authorities prompted by findings from local law enforcement in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Following his 2021 conviction, the individual was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison. Despite his legal team's efforts to introduce evidence related to a former employee's prior sex-offense conviction, the lower courts upheld the conviction, ruling against the defense's request to have the former employee testify.
Notably, the individual's association with '19 Kids and Counting' came to an end in 2015 when the show was canceled by TLC amid allegations of molestation involving the individual and several family members. Although authorities investigated the claims at the time, the statute of limitations had expired, preventing any charges from being filed.
In response to the resurfacing of the allegations in 2015, the individual publicly apologized for unspecified behavior and resigned from his position as a lobbyist for a conservative Christian group. His parents acknowledged his confession and private apology for past incidents of fondling involving his sisters and a babysitter.
