Subway and Jared Suspend Relationship After FBI Raid

FBI agents and Indiana State Police descended on the Indiana home of Subway spokesman Jared Fogle in search of child-pornography evidence Tuesday morning, and agents were there well into the evening hours removing electronics and documents.

They appeared at his home in Zionsville, a suburb of Indianapolis, at 6:30 a.m. with a search warrant, and FBI sources told Fox 59 News that state and federal investigators were conducting a “child-pornography investigation.” The Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is leading the investigation. The U.S. Postal Service also had investigators on scene.

Subway issued an updated statement late Tuesday afternoon: “Subway & Jared Fogle have agreed to suspend their relationship due to the current investigation. Jared is cooperating with authorities.” A page about Fogle was removed from Subway’s website.

Fogle’s wife and children left the home as the raid was under way. Fogle, 37, an internationally recognized pitchman for Subway restaurants, was seen at the house speaking with the investigators. Fogle was also seen coming out of the forensics trailer the authorities parked in his driveway. Agents brought documents and electronics to the trailer for immediate analysis.

Fogle was driven away from the house by his attorney late in the morning.

Fogle’s attorney Ron Elberger released a statement about the investigation: “Jared has been cooperating with law enforcement and its investigation of certain unspecified activities and looks forward to its conclusion. Jared has not been arrested, detained or charged with anything.”

Fogle came to prominence in the late 1990s as an Indiana University college student when he lost 250 pounds on a diet dominated by low-fat Subway sandwiches. A Chicago-area Subway franchisee took notice of an article in the college newspaper about Fogle’s eating habits, brought the story to a Chicago ad agency, and he’s been a prominent part of Subway’s advertising ever since. He’s appeared in more than 300 commercials.

Subway issued this statement earlier Tuesday: “We are shocked about the news and believe it is related to a prior investigation of a former Jared Foundation employee. We are very concerned and will be monitoring the situation closely. We don’t have any more details at this point.”

In April, the Fogle Foundation — set up by Fogle to help fight childhood obesity — fell under scrutiny when the organization’s executive director was arrested on child-pornography charges. Russell Taylor, 43, of Indianapolis, was charged with child exploitation, possession of child pornography and voyeurism.

More than 500 child-porn videos were taken from Taylor’s house, according to the FBI. Investigators believe boys and girls as young as 9 years of age appeared in some of the pornography, which was recorded in Taylor’s current and former homes, according to court documents.

In May, Taylor tried to kill himself while in jail. At the time of his arrest, Fogle said the Fogle Foundation cut all ties with Taylor.

Reports the Indianapolis Star:

One item police recovered from Taylor’s home office, according to court records, did appear to have a link to Fogle or his foundation. The officers who searched Taylor’s home reported recovering a thumb drive that contained multiple videos of child pornography, including what police described as “commercially made child pornography from Eastern Europe similar to that seized on other investigations.” The detective leading the probe noted an examination of that thumb drive “revealed a document file with Taylor’s employer listed in the file name.”

It is unclear, however, if that referred to Fogle or the foundation.

Fogle’s longtime association with Subway has made him a rich man. His net worth is estimated at $15 million, reports the New York Daily News. Subway is the world’s largest restaurant chain, with 44,000 locations in 110 countries. Since Fogle presence as the focal point of Subway’s marketing helped to double the company’s sales over 10 years, surpassing $8 billion, according to Ad Age magazine.

His remarkable and enduring appeal as a commercial pitchman has been attributed to his likability and the lack of controversy attached to his persona. Hal Riney, at Publicis & Hal Riney in Chicago, conceived the first Jared Subway campaign in 1998.

“You don’t hear of Jared off using cocaine at a nightclub or something,” Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University, told Ad Age on the 10th anniversary of Jared’s association with Subway.