Ex-Subway spokesman Jared Fogle to plead guilty to child porn, child sex charges

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Ex-Subway spokesman Jared Fogle will plead guilty Wednesday to child porn and child sex accusations levied against him after a July 7 raid on his home.

Prosecutors say Fogle traveled across state lines to pay for sex acts with minors in upscale New York City hotels and accepted child pornography from the head of his charitable foundation. The allegations involve at least 12 minors who appeared in pornography -- some of whom Fogle knew by name -- and two who took part in sex acts with Fogle, prosecutors say.

Fogle, 37, will accept a plea deal Wednesday, FOX59 reported. Additionally, the U.S. Attorney's Office will hold a press conference to discuss the deal and the charges that Fogle is facing. Fogle's attorney, Ron Elberger, refused to comment, and Subway tweeted that "we no longer have a relationship with Jared and have no further comment."

The plea deal stipulates that Fogle will be sentenced to between 5 and 12 1/2 years, and pay a total of $1.4 million in restitution to the 14 victims.

Deb Hileman, president of the Institute for Crisis Management, said that Subway's use of Jared Fogle's actual identity has complicated the company's marketing strategy because it must now find another spokesman. Companies like McDonald's and Progressive Insurance create characters like Ronald McDonald and Flo to avoid this problem.

Federal and state investigators searched Fogle's home and seized several computers and DVDs in response to search warrants that were part of a child pornography investigation.

This investigation was in turn prompted by the arrest of Fogle's former Jared Foundation director, Russell Taylor, earlier this year. Taylor was accused of possessing and producing child pornography. More than 500 videos with such images were found at his home, and in May, Taylor unsuccessfully attempted to kill himself while in custody.

Fogle became a spokesman for Subway after he gained notoriety for losing massive amounts of weight thanks to a strict Subway sandwich diet. He later appeared in various Subway commercials touting the chain's healthy options.