Judge rejects Josh Duggar’s motion for a new trial, saying it was mailed too late
By Adam Roberts, DMM
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FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (KHBS, KHOG) — A federal judge ruled that former reality TV star Josh Duggar filed his motion too late in his attempt to have his child sexual abuse material conviction overturned.
The judge wrote in his order that the Clerk of Court did not receive Duggar’s envelope containing the motion until 55 days after the deadline. Duggar claimed he had put it in the mail on time, but the judge found that wasn’t likely.
In December 2021, Duggar was found guilty of receiving and possessing child pornography. He was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
Duggar claims he was denied a fair trial because his attorneys weren’t allowed to present evidence that one of his employees was the one who downloaded the videos onto the computer.
The legal motion also claimed that a prosecution witness manipulated forensic data and lied when he testified that the computer was offline when he examined it.
“He intentionally modified the cloned forensic image of the computer during government analysis, overwriting system data. He then falsely claimed under oath that he made no changes,” the motion claimed. “This perjured testimony misled the jury, obstructed the defense’s ability to challenge the evidence, and violated Joshua Duggar’s Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights.”
He has made a similar appeal in the past.
Duggar became famous from the show “19 Kids and Counting” that he starred in with his family.
He later served as executive director of the Family Research Council and led rallies against LGBTQ rights.
He was sent to a low-security prison in Dallas County, Texas, in 2022.
Joseph Duggar, one of Josh Duggar’s brothers, faces charges in Florida in the sexual abuse of a young girl and charges in Arkansas of false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Kendra Duggar, who is married to Joseph, is facing those same Arkansas charges.
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