JOSH Duggar has given a rare update on his life behind bars in a desperate letter to an Arkansas judge for a new legal team to appeal his prison sentence.
Josh, 37, is currently serving a 151-month sentence at FCI Seagoville in Dallas, Texas and will be released in October 2032.
Josh Duggar is fighting for a new trial in his child pornography case[/caption]
Josh has a release date of October 2032[/caption]
After Josh’s appeals for a new trial were denied, he begged Arkansas federal court to provide him with a new legal team to help him file another motion by June 24, 2025.
The U.S. Sun has exclusively obtained a letter written by Josh to Judge Timothy L. Brooks, who handled his trial, begging him for help with the request.
The letter dated May 12, 2025 began, “I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to respectfully submit a Motion Requesting the Appointment of Counsel.
“I am currently incarcerated and proceeding pro se,” which means on his own behalf. “I seek the Court’s assistance in appointing counsel to help evaluate my case and, if appropriate, prepare a motion to vacate, set aside, or correct my conviction and sentence.”
Josh then gave rare insight to his life behind bars.
He wrote, “During my time of incarceration, I have worked diligently to focus on education, personal growth, my faith, and to maintain strong family ties.
“However, as I review my case, I believe there are significant issues relating to trial errors, evidentiary rulings, and other constitutional violations that merit a thorough post-conviction review.
“I am unable to fully assess these matters on my own, which is why I seek the assistance of qualified counsel to help evaluate whether relief is justified.”
Josh then requested the court grant the motion and appoint counsel “for the limited purpose of assisting me in evaluating
and preparing a potential motion.”
He ended the letter with, “Thank you for your time, consideration, and continued service to justice.
“May God bless you and this Court.”
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
The U.S. Sun previously reported on Josh’s request filed on May 12.
Court papers read that Josh “requests that this Honorable Court appoint counsel to assist in evaluating and potentially preparing a motion.”
Josh claimed his case involves “complex constitutional and evidentiary issues, particularly relating to legal rulings and strategic decisions made during trial proceedings, errors in the admission of forensic evidence, and potential Brady violations.
“These issues may be relevant for a collateral attack and require skilled legal counsel to thoroughly review and evaluate all potential grounds for relief.”
He claimed that since his 2021 trial, “new legal theories and strategies have emerged in public discourse that may be relevant to the Defendant’s case.
“In light of these developments, the Defendant seeks to consult with counsel to fully evaluate the potential of these emerging strategies and how they may support a motion for relief.
Josh said he lacks the resources and legal training to properly investigate.
“The Defendant requests counsel for the limited purpose of reviewing the record, evaluating possible constitutional claims, and, if meritorious grounds exist, preparing and filing a§ 2255 motion,” which is a motion to challenge a conviction or sentence.
Josh also noted that he is “unable to afford counsel due to my current financial circumstances.”
The filing ended, “I ask the Court to consider my request in light of the complexity of my case and the time-sensitive nature of the statutory deadline.”
Josh has until June 24, 2025 to file a motion in the appeal.
Lawyers for Josh who represented him in his child pornography case did not respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
Josh alongside his lawyers, who he is no longer able to afford[/caption]
APPEALS DENIED
Josh has maintained his innocence and has been fighting to appeal the conviction since his sentencing in May 2022.
Josh, who shares seven children with his wife Anna, first filed an appeal to the conviction in October 2022.
In August 2023, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied his request for a new trial.
Josh’s then-lawyer, Justin Gelfand, argued federal agents allegedly seized his phone when he tried to contact his attorney during a raid at his car lot a year and a half before the arrest.
He ultimately spoke to the agents without counsel present.
The court papers read of the court’s decision to deny the new trial, “It is true that the agents read him his Miranda rights, which ordinarily might leave someone with the impression they are in custody.
“But when Duggar signed a form acknowledging his rights, he had the agents ‘scratch . . . out’ the portion saying that he was being ‘taken into custody.’ Modifying the form made it clear he was free to leave.
“The second and third factors also favor the government. Duggar sat in the front passenger seat of the agents’ truck during the interview.
“They ‘did not handcuff him, the doors remained unlocked, and he entered and exited the front seat of the vehicle on his own,’ which means he’ retained freedom of movement throughout the’ encounter.
“And although the agents ‘initiated contact with’ Duggar, he still ‘voluntarily acquiesced’ to the questioning. Indeed, he began the interview with a question of his own—'[h]as somebody been downloading child pornography?’—and ‘continued to converse’ with them for about an hour.
“Finally, Duggar was not ‘arrest[ed] at the termination of the questioning.’ To the contrary, he ended the interview on his own and then left the dealership—hardly an option available to someone in custody.”
The judgment ended, “We accordingly affirm the judgment of the district court.”
The Supreme Court then officially denied the conviction appeal in June 2024.
LIFE BEHIND BARS
The U.S. Sun has extensively reported on the harsh conditions inside FCI Seagoville.
The food and portions served to inmates force them to go to the prison’s commissary to avoid “going hungry,” The U.S. Sun previously reported.
“They’ve been getting half portions of food for months,” a source close to a Seagoville inmate claimed in December 2024.
“Grits, tiny portions of corn, half rolls, a couple ounces of deli meat, they’re serving them these crazy portions.
“People are having to buy food from the commissary or go hungry, it’s wild. Complaints from loved ones have gone nowhere.”
Seagoville responded to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment at the time, “FCI Seagoville provides all Adults in Custody with food that is consistent with the National Food Menu to include portion size.
“We take all complaints about the institution and services provided very seriously and all complaints are fully investigated.
“Currently, FCI Seagoville has not received any complaints regarding any aspect of the institution’s Food Service Department.”
The source also previously told The U.S. Sun, “The food they get is regularly expired. They’re just like really disgustingly expired, always by at least a couple of weeks. And it’s like milk. All sorts of stuff that can’t be expired for that long.
“They had a run of cereal that had bugs in it, and so people just couldn’t eat their cereal because it was filled with bugs.”
The insider also alleged that the prison runs out of food often.
The source continued to claim, “It’s only ever been like a one or two-day thing at a time, but the portions are also small enough to where if you can’t afford to buy food on commissary, you’re going hungry.”
The U.S. Sun previously obtained a recent lawsuit from a prisoner who accused the facility of “inhumane conditions.”
In the lawsuit filed on February 26, 2024, inmate Jua-Deno Peterson claimed the food served at the prison contained maggots.
FCI Seagoville did not respond to the lawsuit and the case was dismissed.
Josh Duggar’s Legal Timeline
Former 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar was sentenced to 151 months in prison for downloading and possessing child sex abuse images in December 2021. Here’s the timeline of the ex-reality star’s legal woes.
- Josh was initially accused of downloading child sexual abuse material in May 2019 after an investigation by Homeland Security Investigators.
- Later that November, Homeland Security visited the car dealership where Josh was working to raid his computer.
- On April 29, 2021, Josh was arrested and held without bail at an Arkansas jail.
- He was charged the next day during a hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas via Zoom with receiving and possessing child sex abuse images, to which he pled not guilty.
- Josh’s trial began on November 30, 2021, in a federal courtroom in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and a verdict was reached on December 9, 2021.
- He was found guilty of knowing and receiving child sex abuse material.
- In May 2022, Josh was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $50,100 in fines and special assessments.
- Josh’s legal team later appealed the conviction to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which was denied in late 2023.
- Shortly after, Josh again appealed for a new trial, with his attorney arguing that federal agents wouldn’t allow Josh to call him at the time of his arrest.
- On June 24, 2024, Josh’s request was again rejected.
JOSH’S LEGAL TROUBLES
Josh was last seen walking around the prison’s track in December 2024.
He appeared to be in good spirits in his first appearance behind prison walls in years.
He was arrested and charged with possessing and receiving child pornography in April 2021.
He was found guilty and sentenced to 151 months in federal prison in May.
The former 19 Kids and Counting star was transferred to FCI Seagoville in June 2022.
He remains married to his wife Anna, 36, today.
Josh and his wife, Anna, who he claims he is maintaining ‘strong ties’ with[/caption]
Josh seen at his child pornography trial in Arkansas in 2021[/caption]
