Jared Fogle

Jared Fogle
Born:	1977-08-23 Indianapolis, Indiana
Charges:	Distribution and receipt of child pornography, traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor
Sentence:	188 months (15 years 8 months)
Facility:	FCI Englewood
Status:	Incarcerated

Jared Scott Fogle (born August 23, 1977) is an American former spokesperson for Subway restaurants and convicted sex offender. Fogle gained fame after losing significant weight on a diet centered on Subway sandwiches and became the companys primary advertising spokesman from 2000 to 2015. In November 2015, Fogle was sentenced to 188 months (15 years and 8 months) in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution and receipt of child pornography and traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors.

Early Life

Jared Fogle was born on August 23, 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended North Central High School in Indianapolis and later enrolled at Indiana University in Bloomington.

As a college student, Fogle struggled with obesity, reaching a peak weight of approximately 425 pounds. He developed a weight-loss regimen centered on eating Subway sandwiches twice daily, combined with walking, and lost approximately 245 pounds over the course of about a year.

Subway Spokesperson Career

In 1999, Fogles weight-loss story was featured in an article in the Indiana Daily Student, the university newspaper. The story attracted national media attention and caught the interest of Subways advertising agency.

In 2000, Subway hired Fogle as a spokesperson, and he became the central figure in the companys advertising campaigns. The "Jared" campaign, featuring Fogles weight-loss story and his oversized jeans, ran for 15 years and became one of the most recognizable advertising campaigns in fast food history. Fogle appeared in hundreds of commercials and made numerous promotional appearances on behalf of the company.

Federal Investigation

Russell Taylor Investigation

In early 2015, federal investigators began investigating Russell Taylor, who served as executive director of the Jared Foundation, a nonprofit organization Fogle had established to combat childhood obesity. Investigators discovered that Taylor had secretly recorded children using hidden cameras in his home and had distributed child pornography.

The investigation into Taylor led authorities to Fogle. Investigators discovered that Taylor had shared sexually explicit images and videos of children with Fogle, including material Taylor had produced of his own stepdaughters.

Charges and Plea

On August 19, 2015, Fogle pleaded guilty in Indianapolis federal court to two federal charges:

• Distribution and receipt of child pornography
• Traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor

Prosecutors revealed that Fogle had received and viewed child pornography between March 2011 and May 2015, including material depicting children as young as six years old. Additionally, Fogle had traveled to New York City in November 2012 and January 2013, where he engaged in paid sexual encounters with a 17-year-old girl. Following one encounter, Fogle sent the victim text messages offering to pay her to find other underage girls for him.

Sentencing

On November 19, 2015, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Fogle to 188 months in federal prison—significantly more than the 12.5 years requested by prosecutors and the 5 years requested by the defense.

In explaining her decision, Judge Pratt stated: "The level of perversion and lawlessness exhibited by Mr. Fogle is extreme."

In addition to the prison term, Fogles sentence included:

• Lifetime supervised release following his imprisonment
• Registration as a sex offender for life
• Payment of $1.4 million in restitution to 14 victims (the largest restitution order in a child pornography case in the history of the Southern District of Indiana)

Incarceration

Following his sentencing, Fogle was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution Englewood (FCI Englewood), a low-security federal prison near Littleton, Colorado. He has reportedly been the target of assaults by other inmates during his incarceration.

Fogles projected release date is March 2029, assuming good behavior credits.

Co-Defendant

Russell Taylor, the former director of the Jared Foundation who shared child pornography with Fogle and produced some of the material himself using hidden cameras, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for his crimes.

Impact

Fogles arrest and conviction ended Subways long-running advertising campaign and caused significant embarrassment for the company. Subway immediately severed all ties with Fogle upon learning of the investigation and removed all references to him from its marketing materials.

The case drew attention to issues of celebrity endorsements and corporate responsibility, as well as the extent to which Fogles position and celebrity status may have facilitated his crimes.