Josh Duggar speaking from behind bars following his brother Joseph Duggar he was arrested for having sex with a minor.
Josh’s lawyer told Daily Mail On Friday, March 20, she was “deeply saddened” to learn that Joseph, aged 31, had been charged. Josh, 38, went on to criticize the “false allegations” about his brother following “discrimination.”
“He is living with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life,” continued the statement on behalf of Josh. “He understands how a person’s focus for public perception can twist reality into a compelling fiction.”
On Wednesday, March 18, news broke that Joseph is awaiting extradition to Florida after being accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl in 2020.
According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the alleged victim, now 14 years old, was on a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when Joseph allegedly asked her to sit on his lap and “feed his private part” while they were under a blanket. Joseph apologized for his actions and no further incidents occurred during that time.
Authorities were later alerted to the allegations when the victim’s father confronted the former reality star earlier this month. Joseph also confessed his actions to both the father and the detectives of the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas. He was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving the molestation of a victim under the age of 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior by a person 18 or older.
Josh pleaded not guilty to charges of obtaining and possessing child pornography after his arrest in 2021. He was later sentenced to 151 months in prison, which he is still serving. (Josh has made several attempts to appeal his sentence, but all have been rejected so far.)
Joseph previously criticized Josh when he was accused of molesting five girls – four of whom were his sisters – when he was a child.
“Whenever someone you respect so much is willing to stand up and declare what we believe as Christians, about being true to your wife, you would never think that’s someone who’s involved in it,” Joseph said in a 2015 episode. The Countdown Continues about how Josh lived such a “secret life”. “It broke my heart.”
Josh is not the first member of the Duggar family to react to Joseph’s arrest. Jill Duggar broke his silence on a blog post on Thursday, March 19.
Joseph Duggar
Tontitown Police Department“We were shocked yesterday evening to hear of the arrest of Jill’s brother (Joseph Duggar),” he wrote. “We first heard about anything related to his charges yesterday through a text message from a friend of his who sent us a message about the latest media reports of Joseph’s arrest and his guilty plea to molesting a girl in 2020.”
Jill, 34, and husband Derick Dillard They said they were “shocked and saddened” by the allegations.
“We strongly condemn torture. We support the law and hope that justice will be served,” the message continued. “Our hearts go out to the innocent child who suffered in this unspeakable crime and his family. We pray that God will give him strength, comfort and hope, and that he will be able to get all the help and support he needs and deserves in the days ahead.”
The couple concluded with a message of support for Joseph’s wife, Kendra Duggar.
“We cannot imagine the indescribable pain they are feeling as they process and grieve everything,” they added.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
