Crimes and Court

Lawyers for Timothy Busfield said in an opposition filing Friday that an independent inquiry into teh accusation against the actor undermines New Mexico’s child sex abuse case, and that Busfield should be released from jail.

On Wednesday, Busfield faced a judge for the first time since turning himself in on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse; the actor did not enter a plea at the hearing, and the judge ordered that Busfield be held without bond until his next hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, January 20.

Busfield’s lawyers argued for Busfield’s release in court filings Friday, stating that the actor previously passed a polygraph test and that Warner Bros.’ independent investigation into the accusations by twin child actors on the series The Cleaning lady found the allegations unfounded, ABC News reports.

The filing also cited that the child actors’ parents both had a history of fraud, and that the father had admitted too “conspiracy to commit wire fraud” and was disbarred.

“The State offers no reliable proof—only allegations advanced by witnesses with documented histories of fraud and financial exploitation, contradicted by a thorough studio investigation, and refuted by witnesses and objective risk assessments,” Busfield’s lawyers wrote.

“For all of these reasons—the independent investigation that undermined the State’s allegations at every turn, the affirmative findings of the polygraph and ABEL assessment, the overwhelming evidence of character and community support, and the absence of any reliable proof of dangerousness—the State cannot meet its burden of clear and convincing evidence that no conditions of release will reasonably protect the community.”

Timothy Busfield faces accusations of child sex abuse following the issuance of an arrest warrant against The West Wing actor.

Busfield will be charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse after a New Mexico judge approved the warrant. The alleged incidents occurred on the set of the now-canceled Fox series The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield worked as executive producer and director.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by KOAT, the inquiry began in November 2024 after staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital raised concerns that Busfield had possibly groomed two child actors on The Cleaning Lady, whom he called “Uncle Tim.” The incidents reportedly involved children, identified by their initials in the warrant, who were 7 and 8 years old at the time.

Initially, the children disclosed only unwanted tickling to hospital staff. However, subsequent interviews with a social worker allegedly revealed that Busfield inappropriately touched the children’s private areas over their clothing, as stated in the arrest warrant.

An initial Albuquerque police investigation did not meet the department’s criteria for acceptance, and a follow-up investigation by Warner Bros., the producer of The Cleaning Lady, failed to corroborate the allegations.

In October 2025, the children’s mother filed a police report and told Child Protective Services that her children both disclosed sexual abuse by Busfield between November 2022 and Spring 2024. One child told a therapist he was “having nightmares about the director touching him and waking up scared” and claimed Busfield “had touched and rubbed his penis 3 or 4 times and appeared to be ashamed.” This child was diagnosed with moderate post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.

Investigators interviewed Busfield, who dismissed the accusations as “revenge” for The Cleaning Lady replacing the child actors. “There would never be a weird moment about it.I don’t really remember picking those boys up,” Busfield told investigators, according to the warrant. “I remember picking up the boy who followed them. I’d pick him up, and he’d be giggling, and that would sort of get him ready to act.”

Officer marvin Kirk Brown, who issued the arrest warrant, stated, “In my training and experience, pedophiles often infiltrate families under a trusted role, like Timothy, who, as a producer, exploited the hectic film sets to tickle and touch SL on his penis and buttocks, masking it as play.”

Brown continued,“He would invite the family to off-set gatherings,with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness,making SL feel special and dependent— classic grooming to erode boundaries,isolate the victim,and silence suspicions by blending abuse into normalcy.”

Busfield has appeared in films including Revenge of the Nerds, Field of Dreams, and Little big League, and won an Emmy for his role in the drama series Thirtysomething.In 1994, a lawsuit accused Busfield of sexual assault by a 17-year-old female extra on the set of Little Big League; the lawsuit was later settled.