Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar Speak Out After Eldest Son Josh Is Found Guilty on Child Porn Charges

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have broken their silence after their eldest son Josh was found guilty by the jury in his child sexual abuse material case.

"This entire ordeal has been very grievous. Today, God's grace, through the love and prayers of so many, have sustained us. Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through CSAM [Child Sexual Abuse Material]," the couple said in a statement posted to their family website.

"In the days ahead, we will do all we can to surround our daughter-in-law Anna and their children with love and support," Jim Bob and Michelle continued. "As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children. In each of life's circumstances, we place our trust in God. He is our source of strength and refuge. Thank you for your prayers."

Josh, 33, was arrested in April and pleaded not guilty to the charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material.

The 19 Kids and Counting alum, who previously faced child molestation allegations related to his conduct as a teenager and boy, was accused of downloading files depicting child sexual abuse on May 14, 15 and 16 of 2019 on the computer at his then-workplace, a used car lot in Arkansas.

In May 2015, a 2006 police report surfaced and revealed that he had been investigated as a teen for inappropriately touching five underage girls. Two of his sisters subsequently stepped forward as two of the victims. Josh publicly apologized for his "wrongdoing"

Jim Bob appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday during day six of the trial. At the time, he told PEOPLE in the courtroom he had been waiting to be cleared to attend after earlier being subpoenaed in a pretrial evidentiary hearing.

During the pretrial evidentiary hearing last week, Jim Bob was called by the prosecution and to testify regarding the past molestation investigation, while Judge Timothy L. Brooks determined whether he would allow it to be brought up during the trial.

Brooks ultimately ruled that he would allow it, though Jim Bob's name did not appear on the list of potential witnesses for the actual trial.

Along with the family patriarch, several other of Josh's family members appeared in court at various points during his 7-day trial, including his wife Anna and siblings Jill, Justin, Jessa and Joy-Anna. Joy-Anna's husband Austin Forsyth and Jill's husband Derick Dillard also attended.

Following news of the guilty verdict, Derick told PEOPLE why he and Jill, Josh's younger sister, had attended some parts of the trial. (Jill, 30, appeared at Wednesday's proceeding but was not present for the verdict on Thursday.)

"We just wanted to, among other things, see the facts for ourselves," he said, adding, "America is the best country to get justice."

During the trial, both the defense and prosecution relied on expert witnesses to argue their respective cases to the jury, most notably the Department of Justice's James Fottrell, a top government analyst called by the prosecution, and Phoenix-based private examiner Michele Bush, called by the defense.

Fottrell told the jury that he found evidence or remnants of dozens — if not more than 100 — images of child sexual abuse material, as well as several videos, on a partitioned part of the hard drive on Josh's computer.

The defense, however, tried to prove that other people could have accessed the computer. In her testimony, Bush theorized that the criminal activity on the computer may have been a "hit and run" job, in which a hacker gained undetected remote access to a computer and then vanished after a window of time

Following the guilty verdict, he faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and up to $250,000 in fines after his conviction on both counts.

His sentencing is expected in four months but a date hasn't been scheduled pending a pre-sentence investigation.

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.