Timothy Busfield Takes Major Legal Step With Courtroom Plea

Actor Timothy Busfield is facing serious legal trouble after being indicted on multiple child sexual contact charges in New Mexico, allegations he has firmly denied. The former "West Wing" star has pleaded not guilty, and the case is now moving forward through the court system, with prosecutors claiming there is strong evidence while Busfield and his legal team insist the accusations are false. The situation has also drawn attention to his personal life, including Timothy Busfield's wife, Melissa Gilbert, stepping back into work amid the controversy.

According to new records obtained by PEOPLE, Timothy Busfield has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual contact with a child in a New Mexico court case. Busfield was first accused of child sex abuse allegations in a January 9 warrant issued by the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). It alleged that Busfield engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old boys, whose identities have been withheld from the public.

The 68-year-old former "West Wing" actor was indicted by a grand jury on February 6 and accused of touching two children on the set of the FOX series "The Cleaning Lady" while filming in Albuquerque between November 2022 and spring 2024.

The warrant stated that the alleged victims' parents told Brown that the minors met Busfield on the set of the FOX series "The Cleaning Lady," where he served as a director, and they were child actors. The television show ran from January 2022 until June 2025.

One of the alleged victims told a forensic child interviewer that Busfield touched his "private areas" on set when he was seven years old, according to a criminal complaint. The boy alleged the abuse happened five or six times between sets and that Busfield assaulted him again when he was eight years old, claiming it happened three or four times.

The boy's twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but he did not specify where and didn't say anything because he didn't want to get in trouble, the complaint said.

The charges were brought against the star by a grand jury in Bernalillo County, and the case will be prosecuted by the Special Victims Unit, district attorney Sam Bregman announced earlier this month. Busfield was arrested and booked in January after a warrant was issued for his arrest in New Mexico, and he turned himself in.

One day after entering his not guilty plea, Busfield waived his arraignment and court appearances for all pretrial proceedings. His request was granted by Judge Joseph Montano on February 18.

A witness list was issued on February 13 and includes multiple people from Busfield's past, stretching as far back as 1991. His legal team will attend a March 10 hearing.

He has since denied the allegations, and his attorneys have argued the accusations are part of a revenge plot manufactured by the boys' parents after the children lost their roles in the TV series.

Before turning himself in, he called the allegations lies in a video shared by TMZ. "I'm going to confront these lies. They're horrible. They're all lies, and I did not do anything to those little boys, and I'm going to fight it," he insisted.

But Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch called evidence of abuse against the Hollywood veteran "strong and specific" during a January 20 court hearing. "The boys' allegations are supported by medical findings and by their therapist," the ADA said. "Their accounts were specific and not exaggerated."

Busfield's wife, Melissa Gilbert, recently announced that she will be returning to work following a brief hiatus to "gather my strength" amid her husband's child sex abuse charges. "As many of you know, I stepped away for a little while to focus on my family," Gilbert said. "It was time I needed, time to be present, to tend to what matters most and to gather my strength in a season that has not been easy."

The case remains ongoing, with Busfield’s legal team expected to appear at the next scheduled hearing in March.