Now former spokesperson for Subway Restaurants, Jared Fogle has agreed to plead guilty to federal child-pornography charges.
The one-time sandwich-shop icon had his home raided by FBI and Indiana State Police six weeks ago and removed electronics, all following the May arrest of the Jared Foundation’s former executive director, Russell Taylor.
During his questioning by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Dinsmore in Indianapolis, Fogle replied with only “yes” or “no to his questions on Wednesday. In a deal with the prosecution, he admitted to two counts that included disturbing visual depictions of minors, according to Bloomberg.
At this time, he has been released, but is on electronic monitoring. He faces up to 30 years in prison as well as a $250,000 fine. The prosecution is pushing for a sentence of at least five years, and less than 12, in agreement with Fogle’s lawyers.
“He preyed on minor victims who did not have the ability to protect themselves,” Indianapolis U.S. Attorney Joshua Minkler said.
In 2000, Fogle first joined Subway and shot his first commercial. From then on, he became one of their most prominent spokesman. His personal story of losing weight utilizing a diet primarily made up of the chain’s sandwiches was an instant success story.
Then in 2006, Fogle started is own foundation, the Jared Foundation, that aimed at raising money to battle the wide spread of child obesity.
The charges brought against Fogle are for accepting videos and pictures of 12 minor girls engaged in sexual acts that Taylor had produced with hidden cameras. Fogle is reported to have me with many of the girls in a social setting in the Indianapolis area.
The U.S. reports also state that Fogle accepted child pornography from Taylor from overseas that involved victims as young as 6 years old.
So far, Fogle has admitted to and plead guilty to engaging in sexual acts with minors in hotels across state lines in New York.
In a press conference with the U.S. attorney’s office, senior litigation counsel Steven D. DeBrota said that the $100,000 payment Fogle must make to each of the 14 victims will immediately go to four of them who are already adults “in dependent situations, and need help to get their lives back together.”
Although Fogle did use his wealth, DeBrota added that Fogle did not use his celebrity status as allure for the minors, “because most of them didn’t know who he was.”
“While Jared fully recognizes that such monetary contribution will not undo the harm he has caused, he is hopeful it will assist these individuals as they try to move forward with their lives,” Margolis said in an e-mailed statement.
