Josh Duggar Supreme Court Appeal Denied; He’ll Remain in Prison Until 2032 Over Child Sex Abuse Conviction
June 25 2024, Published 9:40 a.m. ET
Josh Duggar's latest attempt at appealing his child pornography verdict was officially denied by the Supreme Court on Monday, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The disgraced former star of TLC's 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On, who was convicted of downloading and possessing child sex abuse images in December 2021 and sentenced to 12 years in prison, will remain behind bars until his scheduled release in 2032.
Duggar had petitioned the Supreme Court to review his conviction after it was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
The reality TV alum had requested that the court grant him a new trial in October 2022, arguing that the investigation was mishandled by federal authorities.
Duggar's lawyer Justin Gelfand claimed that federal agents seized Duggar's phone when he tried to contact his attorney during a raid at his car lot.
"[Josh] takes out his phone, physically puts it to his ear... for the purpose of contacting his legal counsel," Gelfand told The U.S. Sun. "Federal agents physically took the phone out of his hand and deprived him of the ability to communicate with his legal counsel."
Duggar was arrested in April 2021 after child pornography was found on a computer at an Arkansas car dealership that he owned. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Gelfand has repeatedly claimed that Duggar's co-worker Caleb Williams, who allegedly "regularly used the only computer, the HP computer, for purposes that had nothing to do with Wholesale Motorcars or Josh Duggar," could have committed the crimes.
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Duggar celebrated his 36th birthday behind bars in April. He has been locked up at FCI Seagoville near Dallas, Texas, a low-security federal correctional institution, since May 2022.
Duggar's parents and wife have continued supporting him through his trial and sentencing. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar made a rare visit to see their disgraced in prison in April, and Anna Duggar, who shares seven children with Josh, recently filed paperwork to register a new dog-related LLC.