Last month, Josh Duggar began his stay in federal prison, where he will serve his 12-year sentence.
Despite her despicable husband’s disgrace, Anna insists that she’s happily married. No ma’am.
Unfortunately for her and for her seven children, Josh’s prison sentence is not his only consequence.
He also must pay restitution for his crimes … and he has not. That debt hasn’t gone away.
The Sun reports that Josh Duggar is now facing a $50,100 lien for restitution.
In May, the court handed down the disgraced cultist’s sentence.
The judge ordered Josh to pay a lump sum of $50,100 “immediately.”
Josh apparently did not immediately comply. The court order had already considered this.
“Any unpaid financial penalty shall be paid by the defendant during his term of imprisonment,” the court instructed.
Josh would then pay “at a rate of up to 50% of the defendant’s available funds.”
This, the court noted, is “in accordance with the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program.”
So Josh’s CSAM conviction and sentence has meant a hefty debt.
There are many issues with our carceral system and the ways in which poverty makes life worse.
However, Josh is not exactly a sympathetic case. Not the man himself, and not his crimes.
It sounds like, simply put, half of any money that Josh has at his disposal at FCI Seagoville will go to pay restitution.
We do not know the exact mechanics of how this works.
It is likely that authorities will garnish money from Josh’s available prison funds.
That won’t be easy for him.
It is possible that Josh’s family may “help” … but Jim Bob and Anna both have enough on their plates.
Anna cited her financial future when she begged the judge to give Josh undeserved leniency.
She claimed that Josh “has worked hard” in order to support her and their seven children.
According to Anna, they also needed Josh for “emotional, and physical support” that he cannot provide while behind bars.
Fortunately, the judge did not listen.
In fact, one wonders if the court considered the seven children at home when issuing his sentence.
Josh represents a clear and present danger to children. They are safer now than they have ever been before.
But that does not mean that the seven children or Anna are financially secure.
The family was already living in a small warehouse.
We can imagine that some warehouse living might not be so bad, especially in a housing crisis. But …
… It’s also a pretty good indicator that the family was not flush with cash.
Jim Bob has long used wealth to exert control over his adult children whenever possible.
Between that and controlling access to many of their siblings, he keeps the Duggars on a tight leash.
Reports say that Anna is now surprisingly close with Jim Bob and Michelle.
It is possible that she is leaning on them for financial support for her and their grandchildren.
Anna has no actual, marketable skills. The cult raised her to be a wife and a mother with no other prospects.
And the strict rules of the cult mean that, even if she could clean houses or babysit, she’d have a limited customer base.
Anna’s only option is to rely upon family. The cult raised her this way.
Now, she continues to pay the price for her husband’s predatory behavior.
