By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-03 22:47:48 | Updated at 2026-06-07 17:42:42
3 days ago
Josh Duggar has been transferred to the same Fort Worth, Texas prison where Tiger King's Joe Exotic is being held.
Duggar, 38, was transferred from the FCI Seagoville facility, where he has spent nearly four years, to Fort Worth FMC, according to records reviewed by the Daily Mail. Fort Worth FMC, which is about 47 miles away from FCI Seagoville, specializes in treating prisoners for physical and mental health needs.
Joe Exotic, 63, is being treated for prostate cancer at the facility amid his 21-year sentence in his 2019 murder-for-hire conviction.
Duggar is currently serving a prison sentence of about 12 1/2 years in his 2021 conviction for receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
It was not immediately clear why Duggar was transferred, as it did not necessarily mean he had health issues that needed to be tended to.
Attorney Beau Brindley, who is representing the reality star, told the Daily Mail on Wednesday that his office 'is investigating to verify Josh's well-being' amid the transfer.
Josh Duggar, 38, has been transferred to the same Fort Worth, Texas prison where Tiger King's Joe Exotic is being held at. Pictured 2023
The reality star was transferred from the FCI Seagoville facility to Fort Worth FMC; the locations are about 47 miles apart.
He added, 'the Bureau of Prisons does not provide us with advance notice of prisoner transfers for security reasons.'
The facility is 'an administrative security federal medical center with a detention center' which houses a total of 1,573 inmates, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, shot to notoriety when his story was told in the Netflix true crime series Tiger King, which was a national sensation upon its release in March of 2020.
Two months earlier, Exotic was sentenced in his native Oklahoma in connection with the 2017 murder-for-hire plot of his business rival Carole Baskin.
He was also convicted in connection with numerous wildlife law violations in the deaths of five tigers, and infractions of the Endangered Species Act.
Federal authorities said Duggar - who is father to seven children with wife Anna, 37 - had amassed 'images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including images of prepubescent children and depictions of sadistic abuse.'
Duggar's transfer came as he faced another legal setback in a judge denying a motion he filed to vacate his 2021 conviction on the grounds his rights had been violated (after he missed a June 24, 2025 deadline on a motion).
Duggar said in a filing that the missed deadline should be overlooked since he had followed the basic rules of 'a prison mailbox rule.'
The facility is 'an administrative security federal medical center with a detention center' which houses a total of 1,573 inmates
It was not immediately clear why Duggar was transferred, as it did not necessarily mean he had health issues that needed to be tended to
The rule validates items 'deposited in the institution's internal mailing system on or before the last day for filing,' according to legal docs reviewed by 5NewsOnline.
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks declined Duggar's request, saying in his ruling that it lacked credibility.
'The Court can grant Mr. Duggar one coincidence,' the judge said. 'Perhaps even two or three odd happenstances. But Mr. Duggar is asking the Court to believe something akin to a magic bullet theory - a sequential chain of events that defies common sense.'
The judge added, 'Collectively, this chain of events - where Murphy's law was lurking at every turn - is simply not credible.'
The Duggar family reality show, which began airing in 2008 as 17 Kids and Counting, was centered on Michelle and Jim Bob, the devout Arkansas couple who named all of their children with the first letter J.
News about Duggar's past molestation of five young girls in the early 2000s - four of his female siblings and a babysitter - led to the swift cancellation of the family's TLC series in 2015.
Jim Bob and wife Michelle posted a statement on Facebook at the time the story surfaced, explaining how they dealt with the initial incident.
'Back 12 years ago our family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives,' they said in a May 21, 2015 Facebook post. 'When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes and we were shocked.
Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, shot to notoriety when his story was told in the Netflix true crime series Tiger King, which was a national sensation upon its release in March of 2020
Josh and wife Anna seen at CPAC in February of 2015, months before news broke of his past molestation
The latest events come on the heels of major legal issues for Josh's younger brother Joseph, 31, who faces child molestation charges in a 2020 incident
'We had tried to teach him right from wrong. That dark and difficult time caused us to seek God like never before.'
Jim Bob and Michelle continued, 'We pray that as people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family. We have challenges and struggles everyday. '
The latest events surrounding Josh Duggar come on the heels of major legal issues for his younger brother Joseph, 31, who is out on $600,000 bond as he faces child molestation charges.
The incident involving Joe occurred in 2020 in Panama City Beach, Florida during a vacation, according to the Bay County Sheriff's Office.
'As the vacation continued, he also asked [the victim] to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket,' officials said. 'During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim's underwear and grazed her genitals.
'Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs. The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology.'
For those who have been impacted by sexual abuse, text 'STRENGTH' to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
