Josh’s Duggar’s latest attempt to appeal his child sex crime conviction may have been thwarted due to the disgraced former 19 Kids and Counting star failing to file and mail his appeal on time. 

According to People, Josh– who is currently serving a more than 12-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2021 for receiving Child Sex Abuse Materials (CSAM) – made a virtual appearance in a federal courthouse last week as part of his fourth attempt to appeal his conviction. 

During the two-hour hearing, Josh provided the court with eight arguments as to why he should be granted a new trial or have his guilty conviction overturned; however, most of the hearing reportedly focused instead on the fact that it is suspected that Josh mailed his latest appeal after the deadline. 

Josh and his lawyer, Beau Brindley, claim that Josh mailed his appeal from his current abode at Federal Corrections Institute Seagoville in Texas on June 24, 2025. However, prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas filed a motion in August after Josh’s appeal was received by the federal court clerk’s office, suggesting that Josh actually mailed his appeal later than he claimed. If so, it would mean he missed the date to file his appeal.

Interestingly, the June 24 date that Josh and his lawyer cited during the hearing is the last day that Josh could legally file his appeal, as it was one year from when the U.S. Supreme Court denied the 38 year-old’s writ of certiorari amid his third attempt at an appeal. 

While an FCI Seagoville mail log obtained by People reportedly lists two letters being mailed from the prison on June 24, neither piece of mail was from Josh. 

During last week’s hearing, the judge overseeing the proceedings informed the court that he will wait to see if Josh’s appeal was, in fact, filed and mailed by the June 24 deadline before moving forward.  

As The Ashley previously reported, despite having his appeal rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024, Josh filed a motion last year with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, asking the judge to appoint him a lawyer to help him in his legal fight. In his letter to the judge, Josh claimed that he needed a public offender, as he could no longer afford a private attorney. A month later, Josh’s request was denied.  

Despite his alleged financial issues, the former TLC star went on to hire Beau in March. (Beau previously served as a defense attorney for singer R. Kelly.)

While Beau was supposed to help Josh get his “mail problems” sorted out, it seems the situation is now in the judge’s hands. 

As you know, Josh has made many other attempts over the years to get the court to take another look at his case and/or get himself released from the slammer.

In 2022, he filed an appeal blaming his former friend Caleb Williams for the CSAM found on the work computer of Josh’s now-shuttered car lot, Wholesale Motorcars. Later that year, Josh and his (now former) legal team continued its arguments for the eldest Duggar to be granted a new trial for receiving CSAM. The team alleged that Josh’s rights were violated during the 2019 raid on his business and that he was denied the ability to present a case against Caleb during his 2021 trial. 

Josh’s fight continued in 2023, though his appeal and request for a new trial were ultimately denied in August of that year. 

Josh’s current prison release date is February 2, 2033. (For some reason the release date was recently pushed back, as Josh had originally been due to be sprung on December 23, 2032.)  

RELATED STORY: Kendra Caldwell’s Family Breaks Silence on Kendra’s Husband Joe Duggar’s Arrest for Child Molestation; Say They Still Love Kendra 

(Photos: TLC; Instagram)