On Wednesday, ex-star of reality show “19 Kids and Counting” Josh Duggar is scheduled to appear virtually in federal court as he
seeks to overturn his conviction involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
A jury found Duggar, 37, guilty in December 2021 on one count of receiving CSAM and one count of possessing CSAM. He is serving a
sentence of 12 ½ years at the Federal Correctional Institution in Seagoville, Texas, followed by 20 years of supervised release.
Duggar had been representing himself after the court twice denied requests for appointed counsel. He has since retained Chicago attorney Beau B. Brindley,
who previously represented singer R. Kelly in high-profile cases.
In his filing, Duggar
argues his trial was unfair and violated his constitutional rights, citing eight alleged grounds of misconduct. He claims evidence was withheld at trial, including witness testimony he says surfaced only after “years of animosity and media attacks,” according to the filing. He also alleges a Department of Justice expert manipulated digital evidence and lied under oath.
Duggar further claims the court’s handling of juvenile records involving the Duggar family harmed his sisters and says TLC and Discovery Communications released statements attributed to him without his consent.
According to the filing, Duggar did not raise these issues during post-conviction proceedings, which were previously denied by state judges, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.