How Josh Duggar’s Lawyers Have Responded To The Child Pornography Charges

Josh Duggar speaking out on family values in YouTube video speech

Following Josh Duggar’s arrest on child pornography charges at the end of April, other incidents the former 19 Kids and Counting star was allegedly involved in have come to light once more, including Duggar’s alleged Ashley Madison scandal, the report that came out about molestation incidents that occurred when he was a teen, and a third set of allegations from a former stripper who once unsuccessfully sued Josh Duggar for battery (though the lawsuit was later dismissed). Now, Duggar is out of jail on bail and his lawyers have explained the former reality star’s plan when it comes to the upcoming court case.

Josh Duggar has employed Justin Gelfand, Greg Payne and Travis W. Story as his defense attorneys in the case, which is set to commence in Arkansas in July of this year; Duggar is currently out on bail, though he hasn’t been able to return home to his pregnant wife or their six children. According to a statement released by his attorneys (via People), the 19 Kids and Counting personality will be “aggressively” defending himself against the charges in court and plans to plead not guilty.

Josh Duggar has been charged in a two-count indictment. He has pled not guilty to both charges and we intend to defend this case aggressively and thoroughly. In this country, no one can stop prosecutors from charging a crime. But when you're accused, you can fight back in the courtroom — and that is exactly what Josh intends to do.

Josh Duggar will be heading to court to defend himself against two charges, one a count of receipt of child pornography and another a count of possession of child pornography. A Homeland security agent who was reportedly present at the time of arrest spoke in court already and stated that the child pornography that was found on the computer at Josh Duggar’s place of work was “in the top five of the worst of the worst that I've ever had to examine.”

The court date for the pretrial hearing in the Josh Duggar case is set for July 1 while the actual trial will begin on July 6. If he's found guilty, he could face up to 40 years in prison. In the meantime, Josh Duggar has been released on bail to a third party. He will also be able to see his family in supervised visits, though his wife Anna Duggar must be there and he cannot stay in his own home. He is also being monitored with GPS tracking.

This will not be the first time Josh Duggar dealt with legalities, as he was also previously pursuing a case related to the molestation report that broke in 2015 and ultimately led to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting. A spinoff, Counting On, which starred some of his other siblings, was later kicked off by TLC.

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.