Jared Fogle, the former spokesperson for Subway, rose to fame after losing 245 pounds on the "Subway diet." He became a millionaire by the age of 25, endorsing Subway and touring the country to promote healthy eating. However, behind the scenes, Fogle led a life of infidelity and depravity, using his foundation to access and exploit children. He was aided by his friend and employee, Russell Taylor, who helped him install hidden cameras in children's bedrooms to capture explicit images.
Fogle's downfall began when a woman he had an affair with, Rochelle, recorded him making disturbing comments about underage girls. She reported him to the FBI, but they were unable to take action due to lack of concrete evidence. However, in 2015, Taylor was arrested for distributing child pornography, and he implicated Fogle in the crime. Fogle's home was raided, and he was found to have thousands of explicit images and videos of children.
Fogle was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and his second wife divorced him. He is currently serving his sentence and has been beaten up by fellow inmates. The case has raised questions about Subway's knowledge of Fogle's activities and why they did not take action sooner. The story has also highlighted the dangers of child exploitation and the importance of holding perpetrators accountable.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Jared Fogle was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1977.
2. Jared attended Indiana University, where he weighed 425 pounds.
3. Jared lost 245 pounds in 11 months by eating Subway sandwiches and exercising.
4. Jared became a spokesperson for Subway and appeared in over 300 commercials.
5. Jared wrote an autobiography and a children's book, and became a motivational speaker.
6. Jared started a foundation in 2004 to fight childhood obesity.
7. Jared married a pediatric nurse and had a "happy, dependable, loving marriage" for five years.
8. Jared's marriage ended in divorce, and his wife filed a restraining order against him.
9. Jared started having affairs outside of his marriage and became controlling and mean.
10. Jared hired Russell Taylor as the executive head of his foundation.
11. Jared and Taylor started placing hidden cameras in children's bedrooms to take photos and videos of them changing clothes.
12. Jared would ask Taylor to collect the photos and videos and bring them to him.
13. Jared would say "Daddy needs some pictures" to Taylor.
14. Jared and Taylor would party and get prostitutes to sleep with them.
15. Jared would ask if they had any underage escorts available.
16. Rochelle, a radio host, recorded Jared making disturbing comments about middle school girls.
17. Rochelle filed a complaint with the FBI in 2011, but they couldn't do much about it.
18. Russell Taylor was arrested in 2014 for distributing child pornography.
19. Jared was raided by investigators in 2015 and found to have hidden thumb drives with child pornography.
20. Jared was arrested and charged with paying for sex with children and receiving child pornography.
21. Jared pled guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
22. Jared's second wife took $7 million in their divorce settlement.
23. Jared will serve 13 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
24. Russell Taylor had three of his child pornography convictions overturned by a judge in 2020.
25. Russell Taylor's case is set for a new trial on the remaining 10 felony charges.