Joseph and Kendra Duggar spoke about handling their financial issues in a recent jail call.
According to audio obtained by Us Weekly via Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Kendra, 27, and Joseph, 31, had a conversation about selling some of their vehicles while the Counting On alum was behind bars after his arrest. (Joseph has since been released and pleaded not guilty to child molestation charges.)
“Maybe [brother] Jed [Duggar] can help us sell that one truck that we haven’t sold,” Joseph said to his wife.
Kendra responded that Jed “already” had the truck “on the lot” and was brainstorming other items they could list for sale to make some quick cash.
Kendra Duggar Put Home up for Rent, Sold Items to Pay Joseph’s $600k Bond
“He was thinking about selling your trailer and some other things,” Kendra said. “So we need to talk about maybe next time, if you want to talk about selling some of the other things.”
Joseph agreed that selling the trailer was a good idea since they own “multiple.”
“So probably just keep that one with different tools I have and get rid of the rest,” he said. Kendra suggested having Jed lock up Joseph’s tools in the “office garage area” if they wanted to get “a little bit of cash” from selling the additional trailer.
At another point in the conversation, Kendra discussed a bill that they needed to pay for a recent construction project.
“We tried to search for the exact number that they sent, and we couldn’t find that exact number,” she recalled. “I do need to pay Gale. I need to write him a check at some point.”
Joseph asked if that was for a balance of $3,200 and Kendra noted it was $6,200, which Joseph said he did not think was correct.
“That’s what Jed said. Yeah but that doesn’t sound right,” Kendra responded. “He’s like, ‘We need to call them and get proof.’ So we haven’t paid him.”
Kendra asked if Gale was the right person and Joseph set her straight about what they owed. He claimed they owed one construction firm $3,200 and a structural engineer $600 for work on their damaged home.
News broke last month that Joseph was arrested after being accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl, who was 9 years old at the time of the alleged incident. He was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. Joseph, who pleaded not guilty, was released after posting $600,000 bail.
Kendra reportedly put her family’s home up for rent and sold multiple personal items to pay for Joseph’s bond. She sold their trailers, four-wheeler, a pressure washer, a waterproof tarp and a wood splitter.
Amid the couple’s financial woes, Kendra’s father created a GoFundMe to cover the family’s moving and relocation expenses.
“My family is facing a difficult and urgent situation. We are in need to cover displacement expenses,” Kendra’s father, Paul Caldwell, wrote on the page. “We will not be using these funds for [our] legal expenses.”
In addition to Joseph’s molestation charges, both he and Kendra were charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of false imprisonment. These charges are unrelated to Joseph’s molestation allegations.
Kendra Duggar Asked Husband Joseph If He Needs ‘More Money’ During Jail Call
Since its creation, the fundraiser has earned more than $25K in donations with a goal of $30K as of Thursday, April 9.
In a previous call with Kendra, Joseph revealed that every time they spoke on the phone, it cost money.
“Oh, so [it] costs money for you to call me each time?” Kendra asked Joseph during a phone conversation, per audio obtained by Us. “Do you need more money?”
Joseph explained he had $60 for phone and other privileges, which was determined based on the cash in his wallet when he was initially booked. He added that he only used the funds for phone calls.
