We’ve heard quite a bit about Josh Duggar’s stint in prison before his sentencing comes down the pipeline following his guilty verdict on child pornography-related charges. We also know his legal team filed an appeal in the time since the trial ended in late 2021. At the time Duggar was found guilty, a judge told the father of 7 that he expected sentencing to come down in April and that seems to be holding true.
News broke this week that Josh Duggar is officially set to be sentenced on April 5. Judge Timothy L. Brooks set the Fayetteville, Arkansas hearing on Tuesday, per AP. At that time, the former 19 Kids and Counting star will be facing up to 20 years on each of the two counts he was convicted on. He could also face up to $250,000 in fines for each count. The Arkansas resident was previously convicted on two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography.
His lawyers have contended the verdict was not fair and that their client should be acquitted or given the opportunity for a new trial. In a filing back on January 18th, Duggar’s legal team, led by Justin Gelfand, filed a 75-page motion. In it, the team argued that the evidence presented during the reality star’s trial did not support a guilty verdict. They've written:
The evidence elicited at trial does not support a conviction on either count — even in the light most favorable to the Government. The Government failed to adduce any evidence that Duggar 'knew that the visual depictions were of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct' —a necessary element for conviction of each count.
This is not the first time Duggar’s legal team has tried the tact of getting the charges dismissed completely after his arrest in April of last year. Back in October, the team tried to get the case fully dismissed related to appointments made during the Donald Trump administration. At that time, the judge called the motion “frivolous” and backed up that statement by noting that the argument that Homeland Security appointments had been unlawfully made had “no legal support” and that even if acting secretaries had been “improperly appointed” there’s no reason to believe their “authority to investigate crimes” should come into question.
Meanwhile, Josh Duggar’s wife Anna Duggar has been quietly supportive through Josh Duggar’s court case. She appeared by his side during the trial and has reportedly been a key person her husband has spoken to during his jail stint, which began after his guilty verdict. She hasn’t spoken publicly about her full thoughts, but earlier this month, she did take to social media to share the 75-page document that her partner’s legal king had crafted.
Per Anna, “there is more to the story.”
What's next for the former reality star remains to be seen, though we should know more on April 5. Meanwhile, it's been a tough few weeks legally for the Duggar clan as a whole. Josh's sisters, including Jessa and Jill, also recently lost a lawsuit they had filed after the now-infamous molestation report was released, leading to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting.
