Josh Duggar 'Sympathizes' with Brother Joseph Duggar's 'Suffering' After Arrest for Child Molestation Charges: Lawyer (Exclusive)

Josh Duggar was convicted of receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in 2021

NEED TO KNOW

• Joseph Duggar was arrested on Wednesday, March 18, on charges of molesting a 9-year-old girl and faces additional charges, including false imprisonment
• His brother, Josh Duggar, was convicted in 2021 of receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct
• On Friday, March 20, Josh’s attorney, Beau Brindley, exclusively told PEOPLE that the brothers’ “familial bond remains strong”

Josh Duggar's attorney is sharing his client's response to the reports that Josh's brother Joseph Duggar was accused of molesting a 9-year-old girl.

Joseph, 31, was arrested on Wednesday, March 18, and booked into custody on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old conducted by a person 18 years or older. On Friday, March 20, he was charged with additional counts: four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree.

His arrest comes nearly five years after his brother Josh was convicted of receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, also known as child sexual abuse material, in 2021. Josh, 38, was also accused of sexually abusing five girls, including his sisters, Jill (Duggar) Dillard and Jessa (Duggar) Seewald.

Following Joseph's arrest, Brindley exclusively tells PEOPLE that the brothers "have not been particularly close for some time, but their familial bond remains strong."

"Josh sympathizes with the suffering that the public spectacle of criminal accusations creates," Brindley says.

"He has felt the pain of false public accusation himself. And he has seen how the media sensationalizes his family’s private struggles," the attorney adds. A jury found Josh guilty of the two child pornography charges in December 2021. Josh was sentenced in May 2022 to 12 and a half years, and his anticipated release date is in August 2032.

Brindley continued by saying Josh "cannot speak" to his brother's guilt or innocence, but "he can say that no one deserves to have their lowest moments broadcast for the world for the sake of clicks and online comments."

The statement comes after footage of Joseph's intake video was released, which included him smiling and joking about his brother's conviction to the deputy. The law enforcement officer asked Joseph if he had ever been to the detention center.

"Not on this side," Joseph said while laughing. He is then heard explaining to the deputy that his brother was and is behind bars, doing "hard time" because of a previous incident, though he does not provide details of that arrest.

Once in police custody, Joseph allegedly told the Bay County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigator Chase Norris that he confessed to molesting a 9-year-old girl in a phone call with the child's father on March 17, according to an affidavit filed by the Bay County Sheriff's Office and obtained by PEOPLE.

That information was relayed to Norris by a detective from the Tontitown Police Department, at which time Norris "requested the detective and [the] victim’s father call the defendant," according to the affidavit. Then on the phone, Joseph "admitted his actions," saying "he touched the victim over her clothing," the affidavit states.

Joseph also allegedly "admitted his intentions were not pure," according to the affidavit.

The affidavit contains details from a forensic interview with the minor, now 14, conducted at the Tontitown Police Department. The alleged incident occurred when "the victim’s family traveled to Panama City Beach" in 2020 for a vacation.

At the vacation home, Joseph allegedly "asked the victim to sit on his lap, numerous times," and "would cradle the victim with his arms," per the affidavit. Joseph then began to "ask the victim to sit on the couch" beside him.

While the victim was sitting with Joseph, he "covered the parties with a blanket," before proceeding to "pull the victim’s dress up and touch the victim’s thighs," according to the affidavit. In the victim's interview, she said that Joseph "would touch the top portions of her thighs and would inch higher and higher, closer to the victim’s waistline."

The minor female alleged this happened on several occasions, and that "the defendant’s hand grazed the victim’s vagina" each time, "which made her feel uncomfortable and confused," according to the affidavit.

Joseph "eventually approached the victim and apologized for his actions," according to the affidavit. "The incidents stopped occurring after the defendant apologized for his actions."

In addition to the Friday, March 20 charges that he received, his wife, Kendra, is facing the same charges of four counts each of endangering the welfare of a minor and false imprisonment.

He made his first court appearance at an Arkansas courthouse on the morning of Friday, March 20, and waived his right to an extradition hearing, paving the way for his extradition to Florida. Meanwhile, her hearing is on March 23 at 7:45 a.m., and she will be due in court again on April 29 at 2:00 p.m.

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If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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