Josh Duggar has upped his defense following his arrest on child pornography charges.
The former reality TV star has hired a high-profile attorney who was formerly a federal prosecutor and has boasted about his acquittals and wins as a lawyer.
Justin K. Gelfand will be defending Josh Duggar going forward. A motion was filed on April 30 for him to practice in the Arkansas courtroom pro hac vice, meaning he would be working a different jurisdiction to his usual one. The courts approved this, and he will now work closely with the other attorneys who are already on the case and practice law in Arkansas.
Gelfand is based in Missouri. The documents filed, including his motion to appear pro hac vice, all appeared online. The PACER files, which include everything filed up through this point, including a detention hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. local time tomorrow.
Who is Justin K. Gelfand?
According to his website, Justin K. Gelfand has extensive experience in high-stakes litigation. He has tried several high-profile cases, which means the Duggar family likely did its research when trying to get the best defense for Josh Duggar.
Some of the cases mentioned on the Margulis and Gelfand website that Gelfand has won include a complete acquittal in a Missouri sex crimes jury trial and his persuasion of Missouri prosecutors not to prosecute a man accused of a sex crime against a child.
He won an acquittal of all of the most serious counts — those carrying mandatory minimums of decades in prison and maximums of life — in a federal sex trafficking jury trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
What is next for Josh Duggar?
Anna Duggar reportedly remains by Josh’s side following his arrest, and even accompanied him to turn himself in on April 29.
Jim Bob Duggar allegedly told family members that Josh Duggar would be arrested ahead of time and asked them not to comment publicly. Since then, Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo released a statement, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard have also commented, and Jessa Duggar also put something on her Instagram story.
Currently, Josh Duggar remains in the Washington County Detention Center while awaiting his detention hearing. It is unclear whether the judge will approve a bond for the former reality TV star.
If one is awarded, he will have to live in a home without minors, including his children and siblings.
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