Subway's Jared Fogle Admits To Sex With Minors, Distributing Child Porn

Photo Credit: 7News/whdh.com

By MARC TORRENCE (Patch National Staff)

Former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle admitted Wednesday that he possessed and distributed child pornography involving children as young as six years old and traveled to top-flight hotels to have sex with minors and pay them to recruit even younger girls for his pleasure.

Fogle, 37, made his admissions In a 27-page plea-related agreement he signed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indianapolis. He could face 50 years in prison.

The document outlines a multi-year pattern of child-sex crimes that Fogle committed, involving 14 named victims and many more whose identities are unknown.

In at least seven states, from Florida to Washington, in Nevada and in his home state of Indiana, Fogle conspired with the director of his charity, Russell Taylor, to obtain child pornography and round up underage girls for sex, the court papers say.

“Fame and fortune will not protect you from attacking those most vulnerable in our communities,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said at a news conference after Fogle was delivered to court Wednesday, U.S. Marshals and lawyers surrounding him. A date to make the plea formal has not been set.

“I cannot think of anything more repugnant,” the superintendent added, “than sexually victimizing a child.”

See Also:

• 5 Details You May Not Know About Subway Jared’s Child-Sex Case
• Subway’s ‘Jared’ Has Home Raided In Child Porn Investigation
• Subway’s ‘Jared’ Bragged About Paying For Sex With 16-Year-Old Girl: Report

While the videos of the six year olds were pulled from “internet sources,” the plea agreement states, Taylor, with Fogle’s knowledge, created his own videos of minors changing clothes, taking showers and in some cases having sex. The videos were created at two of Taylor’s homes using multiple hidden cameras, prosecutors say.

Fogle’s plea represents a sensational fall for one of the country’s best-known commercial spokesmen. Fogle, born in Indianapolis, became the likable face of the Milford-based Subway sandwich shops 15 years ago as an affable former fat kid who lost more than 200 pounds largely on a Subway-only diet.

In addition to appearing on television commercials, he criss-crossed the country speaking to groups, including school-age children, about healthy eating and the benefits of Subway sandwiches.

“Jared Fogle is agreeing to plead guilty to the charges filed against him today,” his attorney, Jeremy Margolis, told a media throng outside the federal courthouse in Indiana. “In doing so, Jared is accepting responsibility for what he has done.”

The court documents released Wednesday say that Fogle had sex three times with one 16-year-old girl, who he’d later meet when she was 17 during visits to the five-star Plaza Hotel in New York and again at the Ritz Carlton. She identified a second 16-year-old victim Fogle paid for sex.

Using these girls and prostitutes in several states, Fogle attempted to ”network” his way to finding 14-year-old girls for sex.

Fogle’s home in Zionsville was raided July 7, a few months after his charity partner, Taylor, was arrested on child porn charges.

The court documents blame Fogle, in part, for Taylor’s ability to accumulate victims.

“If the Defendant had promptly reported what he knew of these activities, then the sexually explicit material involving later victims would not have been produced,” the plea agreement says.

The videos “included a lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of the relevant minor, while some material also included other sexually explicit conduct depending upon the minor involved,” the court papers said.

On one occasion, Fogle showed the videos to someone else.

The agreement says Fogle will pay $100,000 each to 14 different minor victims to help pay for counseling and therapy.

Following the agreement, Fogle’s wife, Katie released the following statement:

Obviously, I am extremely shocked and disappointed by the recent developments involving Jared. I am in the process of seeking a dissolution of the marriage. My focus is exclusively on the well-being of my children. Neither I nor my family will have any further comment on the matter. I appreciate respect for my family’s privacy during this difficult time.

According to terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors won’t seek a sentence greater than 12.5 years, while Fogle won’t seek a sentence less than five years. A judge, though, will make the final decision on his actual sentence, which could be a maximum of 50 years.

Fogle also would be required to serve at least five years of supervised release.

The court document released Wednesday were not technically a plea agreement but rather a petition to the court to allow such an agreement, common in federal court.

Under the agreement, Fogle would become a registered sex offender and undergo treatment for sex disorders in addition to serving the prison time.

Fogle appeared in federal court Wednesday, and his hearing lasted less than 15 minutes, according to IndyStar. He was placed in home detention and will be monitored with a GPS device.

The full statement from Fogle’s attorney is below:

Jared Fogle is agreeing to plead guilty to the charges filed against him today. In doing so, Jared is accepting responsibility for what he has done. He is also volunteering to make restitution to those affected by his deplorable behavior. 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.

Jared also understands that he requires significant psychiatric medical treatment and counseling. He has already begun that process by being extensively examined by a world-renowned expert in sexual conditions in order to chart a course to recovery. It is Jared’s intent and goal to become healthy again.

Most importantly, Jared understands that he has hurt innocent people, vulnerable people, and his family. He has expressed remorse to me and to his loved ones, and will, when given the opportunity, express that remorse to this court and to the people he has harmed. His intent is to spend the rest of his life making amends.

See the full plea agreement below. (Warning: contains disturbing language.)