JOSH Duggar is spending his first 35th birthday in federal prison alone, as he remains in solitary confinement without visitation from his family.
Josh is serving a 151-month sentence for his child pornography conviction at FCI Seagoville near Dallas, Texas.
GettyJosh Duggar is spending his 35th birthday in solitary confinement[/caption]
Toby CanhamHe will likely not hear from his wife, Anna, behind bars[/caption]
The disgraced reality star was thrown in FCI Seagoville’s SHU, which stands for Special Housing Unit, and is most commonly known as solitary confinement, in February for sneaking in a cell phone.
An insider exclusively confirmed to The U.S. Sun that Josh, who turns 35 on March 3, remains in solitary confinement and is allegedly unable to speak to his loved ones.
The source said: “Family members have been complaining that they’re unable to communicate with loved ones in the SHU.
“The video and phone systems in the SHU have been down in recent weeks. Loved ones have been writing letters to inmates in the SHU.”
According to the Bureau of Federal Prisons, inmates in the SHU are allowed just “one telephone call per month.”
As for visitation, those are “restricted” or “disallowed” depending on the reason for detention.
As for an inmate’s birthday, the source claimed: “The prison doesn’t do anything special, but fellow inmates do try to get a cake and stuff for each other.”
‘IT’S SO BAD’
The insider previously told The U.S. Sun that Josh went to the SHU for “having a cellphone.”
The source continued to claim: “I can tell you that the SHU there is so bad that the regional office was just down there to see what was going on.
“They’ve been keeping prisoners in the SHU indefinitely, not letting them have DHO hearings, which let them know when they’re getting out.”
The insider said he could be there “for months” until his disciplinary hearing.
Seagoville declined to respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment on Josh.
ANNA’S NIGHTMARE
A source whose family member is in prison with Josh previously told The U.S. Sun that Anna, 34, visited her husband frequently with their seven young children.
The insider claimed: “We’ve seen Anna at visitation fairly regularly. I’ve spoken to Anna a couple of times. Normally the only thing I’ve seen is Anna and then their kids, I don’t really know anybody else.”
The source said the prison has “board games and blocks” to keep children busy during visitation.
JOSH’S LEGAL TROUBLES
Duggar was arrested and charged with possessing and receiving child pornography in April 2021.
The trial lasted two weeks before the jury submitted a guilty verdict.
He was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison in May.
He was transferred to FCI Seagoville in June.
APPEAL BATTLE
The disgraced reality star filed an appeal to the conviction in October 2022, as he is requesting the court grant him a new trial.
Duggar’s lawyer Justin Gelfand and the prosecution’s Joshua Handell faced off during an appeal hearing in Kansas City, Missouri on February 16.
The U.S. Sun exclusively reported Josh’s lawyer Gelfand argued that 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.
Gelfand said in court: “[Josh] takes out his phone, physically puts it to his ear… for the purpose of contacting his legal counsel.
“Federal agents physically took the phone out of his hand and deprived him of the ability to communicate with his legal counsel.
“He was told he was free to go. No reasonable person in his shoes at that time would believe that.”
When the judge asked if Josh could have gone to another business to make a phone call, Gelfand replied: “This lot was accessible only by a highway with no sidewalk, it was in the middle of nowhere. There was nowhere to go.”
Gelfand continued: “The vehicle he came in was searched, he had no access to it. The keys to the other vehicles in the car lot were in the office. He wouldn’t be allowed to enter without an escort.”
Handell for the prosecution responded: “Mr. Duggar was not in custody at any point during the search of the used car lot… Mr. Duggar was repeatedly told he was not in custody and was free to leave.
“He said his wife was pregnant and expecting soon. He may have to leave in order to contact her. The agent said that’s perfectly fine.
“Mr. Duggar did leave the scene at a time of his choosing and without being arrested… Mr. Duggar voluntarily ended the interview. He was not arrested until a year and a half later.”
‘IT CONCERNS ME’
The judge responded: “I am a little concerned though… The agent knew he was trying to call his counsel. It appears that might have been the only way he could’ve done so.
“It does concern me when someone makes an attempt to contact counsel… and is unable to call counsel because there is no alternative way to do it. I’ve never seen that before.”
Handell for prosecution responded: “It’s not clear whether there was another way to contact counsel. One of his employees had a cell phone not seized by officers.”
Gelfand said: “The agent could’ve said, ‘Use my phone to contact your attorney.’”
BLAMING CALEB WILLIAMS
Also during the hearing, Gelfand brought up Josh’s employee Caleb Williams, who he claims could’ve committed the crime.
Gelfand said: “Caleb Williams worked at Wholesale Motorcars, which is the scene of the alleged crime. He regularly used the only computer, the HP computer, for purposes that had nothing to do with Wholesale Motorcars or Josh Duggar.
“He texted Mr. Duggar on May 7, approximately a week before the alleged crime, offering to go watch the lot the following week. He took a photo of Mr. Duggar in the office where the alleged crime occurred. Showing Mr. Duggar used a Macbook, not the HP computer.”
When the judge asked about Williams not being at the car lot at the time of the crimes and their ability to still call him as a witness at trial, Gelfand responded: “District Court said if he says he wasn’t there and didn’t remote in, if he denies committing the crime, that’s as far as you’re going to get.”
Gelfand said of his evidence against Williams: “He places himself regularly at the car lot using the only computer seized with child pornography on it. The court deprived Mr. Duggar of that ability.”
Handell for prosecution responded: “The partition section of Mr. Duggar’s computer, which was the part of the computer containing all of the child sexual abuse material, had to have been installed by someone at Mr. Duggar’s computer on May 13, 2019. There is no evidence Mr. Williams was present on the car lot or even in the state of Arkansas on that date.
“There was abundant evidence Mr. Williams was not present in Arkansas on that date. He was outside Arkansas between May 11 and May 16, the government has receipts, video, and live testimony from multiple witnesses that he was outside Arkansas.”
Handell continued: “Text messages place Mr. Duggar at the scene of the crime. On May 15 at 11:15 am, Mr. Duggar sent a text message that read: ‘I’m at my car lot.’ Twenty minutes later at 11:35 am, child sexual abuse material was downloaded on the partition section of Mr. Duggar’s computer.”
He gave other similar examples placing Josh at the scene of the crime.
JUDGE’S DECISION
The judge put the case “under advisement” and excused counsel.
Under advisement means a judge is not prepared to make an immediate ruling in court.
InstagramAnna visited Josh frequently with their seven children[/caption]
ABC 8Josh is serving his 151-month sentence at Seagoville in Texas[/caption]
Toby CanhamJosh is currently appealing his conviction[/caption]
