
Former reality TV star Josh Duggar got his request for a new trial related to his conviction on child porn charges shot down by a U.S. circuit court judge, Courthouse News Service reported.
Duggar, who was a cast member in the TLC reality series 19 Kids and Counting, was convicted on two counts of possession of child pornography in 2021 and sentenced to 151 months in prison.
Duggar was charged with downloading hundreds of images of child pornography to a computer at a car dealership he worked at in Arkansas.
Duggar blamed a former employee at the dealership, who was also a convicted sex offender, but the employee was never called to testify and the judge blocked jurors from hearing about the employee’s history. Duggar’s appeal for a new trial argues that he was not allowed to mount a complete defense at his first one.
According to U.S. Circuit Judge David Stras, “the right to present a complete defense does not trump a district court’s discretion to keep out confusing or misleading evidence, even if it would be helpful to the defense.”
Duggar also argued that statements he made to investigators without his lawyer present should have been stricken from the trial, but the ruling found that me made the statements voluntarily and was not under pressure or interrogation.
Duggar also attacked the credibility of witnesses and claimed investigators suppressed evidence.
His scheduled release date is Oct. 2, 2032, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.