Photo: Instagram
His wife also penned a letter.
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on May 13, 2022
Josh Duggar's family members have submitted letters pleading for a light sentence for the convicted former reality TV star.
On May 11th, Duggar’s defense team and the prosecution both submitted sentencing memorandums in the Western District of Arkansas Federal Court in Fayetteville for Duggar’s child pornography case.
Late last year, Duggar was found guilty of two counts of possessing and receiving child pornography. He has maintained his innocence.
These memorandums are outlines of each team’s reasoning behind their respective sentencing recommendations, but among the recommendations were requests from Duggar's wife and his mother.
Anna and Michelle Duggar asked a judge for a light sentence for Josh Duggar.
In addition to the 30-page court document submitted by the defense, several personal letters were also submitted to Judge Timothy L. Brooks from family and friends — including Anna and Michelle.
Each letter defended Duggar, depicting him in a more wholesome manner and explaining why a lighter sentence might be more beneficial, appropriate, or both.
Anna’s letter dates back to March 7th and spans one-and-a-half single-spaced pages where she addresses the judge and details everything about the two’s relationship.
Anna Duggar pleaded to be reunited with her husband.
She spoke about when the couple had first met, all the way to the early years of their marriage, and ended by talking about his recent efforts to help support a widowed family friend.
“Joshua sees the best in people and is willing to walk alongside them to help make their dreams a reality,” she wrote. “I ask that you consider reuniting us as a family again soon.”
In a March 3rd letter from Tontitown neighbor to the Duggars, Nicole Burress retells the same story that Anna told of the widow and adds that she has “met people to whom he has given cars, in an effort to assist them financially.”
“He attentively listens to people’s hurts and struggles and attempts to resolve them,” she wrote.
She also included an anecdote about Duggar bringing her medicine during the pandemic when she was pregnant and contracted COVID-19.
Senior Pastor of Fairpark Baptist Church and Duggar’s brother-in-law, David Waller, wrote on March 10th the same story of the “struggling and needy widow,” specifically detailing that Josh had been allegedly making $2,000 payments “for the past number of years.”
“I have personally observed Joshua Duggar being a man of integrity and take considerable loss after selling a vehicle to a friend of mine at his cost,” the pastor added.
“He lives his life knowing that he will give an account someday to God for the choices and decisions he makes.”
Anna’s father, Michael E. Keller, wrote his letter on March 1st.
After explaining his background as a Florida prison volunteer, he calls Duggar “very gentle, kind, and polite to everyone.”
“Please be merciful to this young man that has a wife and seven children that love him and need him,” Keller added.
Josh’s mother, Michelle Duggar, wrote an undated, one-page letter addressed to Judge Books.
“Joshua has a tender heart and he is compassionate toward others. If someone is having a difficult time, he is one of the first to encourage or try to help them in a tangible way,” she wrote.
Michelle also wrote about the story of the widow, saying that he helped them for several years.
“Joshua has always been a positive and upbeat person,” she penned. “He is a good provider for his family, working diligently and thinking of creative ways to support and take care of his wife and children. He is also generous and shares his resources with others in need.”
A parent of one of the minors in the material Josh Duggar downloaded also included a statement.
While the prosecution’s document didn’t come with any attachments, it did include a stinging statement from a parent of one of the prepubescent children appearing in the material that Duggar downloaded.
“I can find no words to express the fury I feel at those who participate in this evil,” she stated.
“Or my scorn for any attempt to minimize the responsibility by feeble claims that the crime was ‘victimless.’ My daughter is a real person. She was horribly victimized to provide this source of ‘entertainment.’ She is exploited anew each and every time an image of her suffering is copied, traded or sold.”
The girl herself also had some words for the defendant, writing “Don’t you know no one should do that to a little girl! Don’t you know it hurts!”
Duggar will receive his sentencing on May 25th.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.