Subway has a public relations nightmare on its hands and they’re moving quickly to limit the damage. Their popular spokesman, Jared Fogle, has agreed to plead guilty to charges of distributing and receiving child pornography and engaging in sex acts with minors, his attorney and federal prosecutors said Wednesday. He faces at least five years in prison, and prosecutors have agreed to request a sentence of not more than 12.5 years.
Subway hired Fogle after he lost a lot of weight eating Subway sandwiches. Subway cut its ties with the pitchman after law enforcement authorities seized incriminating documents and electronic images from his home in July.
The plea agreement also includes a promise to pay restitution to 14 victims. The alleged crimes began in 2007 and continued through June 2013. According to the United States Attorney for Southern Indiana, Fogle “engaged in commercial sexual acts” with at least two underage girls, one of whom was a 17-year-old, at the Plaza Hotel and Ritz Carlton in November 2012 and January 2013. No age or details were given about the other girl.
The US Attorney alleges that Fogle got images of child porn from Russell Taylor, who ran Fogle’s charity for overweight kids, the Jared Foundation. According to prosecutors Fogel learned in 2011 that Taylor was sexually exploiting a 14-year-old girl. “At that time, Mr. Fogle did nothing to stop the abuse or report it to authorities, but chose instead to receive and repeatedly view the child pornography involving the girl and those other minors produced by his alleged co-conspirator in the years that followed,” the U.S. Attorney said.