Former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle is seeking psychiatric help and “expects to go to prison” after he pleads guilty to possessing child pornography and traveling to pay for sex with minors, according to his attorney.
“He will do his time,” Fogle’s lawyer, Jeremy Margolis, said at a press conference outside the Indianapolis courthouse on Wednesday.
Fogle is facing five to 20 years in federal prison and at least five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Prosecutors have said they won’t pursue a prison term of more than 12.5 years, but a judge will ultimately determine his sentence.
“Jared Fogle is agreeing to plead guilty to the charges filed against him today,” Margolis said. “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. ”
Fogle also “knows he has a medical problem” and has sought evaluation by a “world-class psychologist” to get well, Margolis said. He didn’t provide details on Fogle’s diagnosis.
Fogle, 37, is accused of repeatedly traveling to New York City to engage in sex with minors, as well as possessing and distributing child pornography involving victims as young as 6 years old.
The charges involve 14 minors, and he’s accused of having sex with two of them. Four of the victims are now adults and are in “desperate straits,” according to Assistant US Attorney Steven DeBrota.
Fogle appeared before a judge on Wednesday and entered a not-guilty plea, which will later be changed to guilty, according to his lawyers. He has agreed to pay $100,000 to each of the victims for a total of $1.4 million.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that Fogle, who was Subway’s spokesman for 15 years, used his celebrity status to take advantage of children.
They said he was soliciting minors for sex during business travel, which may have related to his work as Subway’s spokesman or his work with the Jared Foundation, a charitable foundation he started to help kids eat healthy.
The case against Fogle proves that “fame and fortune will not protect you,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said during a press conference Wednesday. “We will find you.”
Subway and Fogle ended their relationship after the FBI raided his Zionsville, Indiana, home last month.
“Jared Fogle’s actions are inexcusable and do not represent our brand’s values,” Subway said in a statement on Wednesday. “We had already ended our relationship with Jared.”
After prosecutors announced the charges on Wednesday, Fogle’s wife, Katie Fogle, revealed that she is divorcing him.
The couple has two young children.
“Obviously, I am extremely shocked and disappointed by the recent developments involving Jared,” she said in a statement through her lawyers. “I am in the process of seeking a dissolution of the marriage. My focus is exclusively on the well-being of my children.”
Fogle’s family released a separate statement saying they are “shocked and profoundly disappointed in Jared’s abhorrent criminal behavior and we are very concerned for the well being of those affected by his conduct.”
As reported by Business Insider