JOSH Duggar has been arrested and jailed in Arkansas today, The Sun can exclusively report.
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, 33, was taken into custody on federal charges.
The incident is 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.
“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.
“The family will be speaking out shortly and hope this in many ways will bring them closer together and even closer to God.”
The arrest could not come at a worse time for 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.
That year, In Touch Weekly uncovered a 33-page Arkansas police report claiming Jim Bob confessed to local authorities that his eldest son fondled the breasts and genitals of young girls while they were asleep in the Duggar family home back in 2002.
The In Touch report also claimed that in 2006, the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline received a tip that there was abuse happening in the Duggar household, and the Springdale Police Department reached out to the family for interviews.
Following the bombshell 2015 report, Josh addressed the allegations, claiming: “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 sisters Jessa and Jill Duggar came forward as victims in an interview with reporter Megyn Kelly, though they insisted they had forgiven Josh for his sins.
Jim Bob and Michelle said of the report: “Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives.
“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.”
In the fallout, the family’s reality show 19 Kids & Counting was canceled, and Josh was fired from his position at Christian lobbying group the Family Research Council.
Josh was not included in the family’s later spinoff show, Counting On.
But the scandals didn’t stop there, as another report just three months later claimed 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.
These days, 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.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
