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Wednesday marked the first full day of testimony in the Josh Duggar child pornography trial.
And prosecutors called two law enforcement witnesses who offered damning testimony about the investigation into Josh’s alleged receipt and possession of illegal materials.
First came Detective Amber Kalmer with the Little Rock Police Department, who traced the material in question to an IP address linked to a device being used at the Springdale, Arkansas car dealership owned by Josh.
According to People magazine, Detective Kalmer explained to the jury the ins and outs of the investigation, as well as the methods that were used for locating the illicit photos and videos and linking them to a specific device.
After Kalmer, prosecutors called Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Gerald Faulkner, whose name might already be familiar to those who have been following Josh’s case from the very beginning.
It was Faulkner who described the materials found on Josh’s devices as “the worst of the worst” after the former reality star was arrested back in April.
Faulkner took the stand to explain to the jury the process by which he and his partner, Special Agents Howard Aycock, used surveillance to ensure that the devices belong to Josh before they moved in for the arrest.
Josh’s attorney, Justin Gelfand, says the agents moved too slowly and allowed the real perpetrators to get away.
Faulkner says the agency merely wanted to be thorough, so as to avoid arresting the wrong man.
During Faulkner’s testimony, prosecutors played audio that was taken the day that the dealership was raided by federal agents back in 2019.
Duggar waived his right to remain silent and spoke to the agents about the raid, even going so far as to “guess” that the investigation had to do with child pornography.Â
“I’ve watched my friends answer things and they get ’em,” he said in the recording.
“Statutes are broad,” he added, explaining his intention to speak without incriminating himself.
Faulkner informed the court that Duggar appeared “calm” and showed “no visible reaction” as his business was raided.
“Mr. Duggar turned in his chair, facing me and Mr. Aycock, and asked, ‘Is this about someone downloading child pornography?'” Faulkner recalled.
At that point, Gelfand expressed doubt, as that particular comment was not caught on tape.
Agent Faulkner explained that Josh made the remark before he was able to hit record.
“That’s the second before?” Gelfand asked.
Faulkner responded to this question in the affirmative.
From there, Josh cooperated with investigators by explaining how he “daisy-chained” the routers in order to provide better wi-fi coverage throughout the car lot.
Asked about his use of the “Dark Web” and sophisticated torrent programs, Duggar told the agents he was using it for his business, to upload photos.
“I would not think the ‘Dark Web’ would be the best place to do that,” Faulkner remarked on the recording.
Josh pled ignorance and claimed that a friend recommended that he download the Tor program.
“I guess I better not say if I don’t understand … I don’t see any difference,” Duggar said.
At that point, Josh began to ask for specifics regarding the investigation.
“So is that what you’re saying is going on?” Duggar said.
“What is the scope? Is something going on on my devices?” he asked investigators.
“In the scope of your investigation, I guess you’ll narrow it down … [and] know if it’s any of the devices here.”
The investigators answered Josh’s questions with questions.
They asked if there been any “red flags” before today, any reason to worry that he might have accidentally downloaded illicit materials.
“Not at all,” Josh replied.
It was then that the agents revealed that the IP address from Josh’s device had been linked to the exchange of child pornography.
“At this point it’s probably best if you just listen,” Agent Faulkner remarked.
“I’m not saying that I’m guilty or not,” Josh said later on the recording.
Gelfand argued that Josh’s office was a tiny “fishbowl” with windows on three sides and thus, little privacy.
He claimed that the only computer on site was shared by all employees.
The remarks seem to confirm that Gelfand will attempt to blame one of Josh’s co-workers for the illicit materials.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts anticipated this argument in his opening statement, telling the jury that the computer and everything on it belongs to Josh and Josh alone.
“Throughout the trial, you’re going to see images of minors, not actors, not actresses — children, some as young as seven years of age,” Roberts said.
“These children are being abused,” he added, urging the jury:
“Hold him accountable.”
Josh’s trial is expected to last five to six days.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
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