Prosecutors responded to Josh Duggar's request to put off his child porn trial until 2022, saying they'd be open to a few months' delay
- Federal prosecutors say it's unreasonable to delay Josh Duggar's child porn trial until 2022.
- Duggar's defense team argued they needed extra time to hire an expert to review his devices.
- Prosecutors argued three months was "ample time" to examine the devices. The trial was set to begin July 6.
Federal prosecutors pushed back against Josh Duggar's attempts to delay his child pornography trial until 2022, arguing the reality-TV star does not need eight extra months just to hire experts to examine his devices.
In a court filing Monday evening, prosecutors argued it would be "reasonable" to delay the trial for three months, adding that it was "common practice in computer-based child exploitation cases" for defense experts to examine devices.
Duggar's trial is set to begin July 6, but his attorneys argued in a motion last week that the independent computer forensic expert they hired needed "several months" to review multiple devices Duggar owned, which are currently being held at a government facility.
Duggar's attorneys also argued they needed extra time to "pursue certain investigative leads" based on information prosecutors turned over in discovery.
In the June 21 court filing, prosecutors said "there exists no legally or factually valid reason" to delay the trial until February 2022, and called the attempt from Duggars' attorneys an "unnecessary delay."
They argued three months was "ample time" to examine the devices and investigate the prosecution's findings and pursue witnesses.
Duggar, who once starred on TLC's "19 Kids and Counting," was charged in April with receiving and possessing child pornography. A federal agent testified last month that Duggar had downloaded and possessed 65 images and a two-minute video featuring young girls between the ages of 5 and 10.
Duggar, who was also accused of molesting four of his sisters and a babysitter in 2002 and 2003, pleaded not guilty to both charges.
A federal judge in May released Duggar from jail while he awaits trial. Ever since, the 33-year-old has been living with a family friend, and must wear a GPS monitor and stay away from all minor children except for his own.