The Duggars have been laying low for a while, but it seems like that's all about to change. According to Homeland Security Investigations, agents raided Josh Duggar's business, Wholesale Motocars, in Springdale Arkansas.
“I do not dispute the information you’ve obtained. That is the location that we were. I can’t speak to the status of any ongoing investigation. But, I do not dispute that we were present at that specific address,” said HSI Spokesperson Bryan Cox.
The spokesperson confirmed, “…ongoing federal criminal investigation, however, given that there are no charges filed, HSI doesn’t discuss the nature of any type of investigation until, if or when, charges are filed. I can’t discuss the reason for our being there. I can’t speak to any individual that may be under investigation. So I can confirm that we were at that address. And spoke to individuals at that location. But I can’t discuss any individuals by name.”
Earlier this year, Josh Duggar was sued for allegedly purchasing an Arkansas property that already belonged to someone else. The man who owns the property, Carl Echols, claimed he's been paying taxes on the property for over a decade. When asked why HSI was present at Wholesale Motocars, the spokesperson couldn't give an exact answer.
“I’m not able to speak specifically, but in a general sense, when a federal law enforcement agency is at a location pursuant to an 'ongoing federal investigation,' there is a very narrow set of circumstances that would apply, and I would say that our presence is consistent with that. I’m just not able to discuss the exact nature,” according to HSI’s spokesperson.
There were also rumors that the Duggar household was the place raided by Homeland Security investigations, but that was denied.
“We were not involved in any kind of law enforcement action [at the Duggar’s home],” the FBI agent told Radar. “I can confirm we were not there.”
The Duggar family released their own statement on the matter:
We were shocked to see a news report today state that our home was raided by federal law enforcement agencies. This is not true. To the best of our knowledge, it’s also not true that any member of our family is the target of any investigation of any kind.Living a life in the public’s eye has taught us that it is best not to reply to every rumor and piece of ‘fake news’ that is circulated online. It would be a full-time job if we attempted to do so. However, because of tonight’s media coverage we thought it is important to address this rumor with you. Thank you for the love and support that we can always count on in you our fans and friends.
People are confused as to why the Duggars are being dragged into this mess, but it seems like their son-in-law Jeremy Vuolo, who is married to Jinger Duggar, could have confirmed a theory. One fan commented on Vuolo's Instagram page, asking "Are the Duggars being investigated for ta evasion?" Vuolo "liked" the comment.
Jim Bob and Michelle have often been open about the family's financial status, revealing that they live debt free.
"We saved up and paid cash for our second house 18 years ago, then spent a year remodeling to get it fixed up to be livable," Jim Bob Duggar said. "But then we didn't have house payments. We don't have any debt, so it makes it easier to live. In the past, Michelle's gone to garage sales and bought shoes for a dollar. We probably spend less on clothing than what a family of four would spend. We spend a lot of money on food. $3,000 a month on food and diapers and that type of stuff."
Could it be that they have extra cash because...they're not paying taxes? Obviously that's a stretch, but HSI doesn't investigate for no reason.