Former Subway spokesman set to plead guilty to sex acts with minors

Federal prosecutors say longtime Subway pitchman Jared Fogle has agreed to plead guilty to engaging in sex acts with minors and receiving child pornography.

Documents released Wednesday by the U.S. attorney's office in Indianapolis say the 37-year-old will plead guilty to one count of travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of distribution and receipt of child pornography.

The agreement filed by prosecutors ahead of an expected court appearance by Fogle says he agrees to: pay $1.4 million in restitution to 14 minor victims, each receiving $100,000, register as a sex offender and undergo treatment for sexual disorders.

It says the government will not recommend a sentence of more than 12½ in prison, while Fogle will not ask for a sentence of less than five years in prison.

Fogle attorney Ron Elberger says he has no comment "at this time."

The 37-year-old Fogle became a Subway pitchman more than 15 years ago after shedding more than 200 pounds as a college student, in part by eating the chain's sandwiches.

Subway suspended its association with Fogle after the raid. The company declined to comment Tuesday, saying only that the chain had "already ended our relationship with Jared."

Ron Elberger, an Indianapolis attorney who represents Fogle, and Tim Horty, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Indianapolis, both declined to comment on the report.

Two months before Fogle's home was raided, authorities arrested the then-executive director of Fogle's foundation on child-porn charges. Russell Taylor, 43, ran the Jared Foundation, which sought to raise awareness about childhood obesity. He was charged with seven counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

Investigators said they discovered a cache of sexually explicit photos and videos Taylor allegedly produced by secretly filming minor children at his home.

After those charges were filed, Fogle issued a statement saying he was shocked by the allegations and was severing all ties with Taylor.

Though Fogle has not been front-and-center in Subway's advertising recently, he had still been acting as a Subway spokesman and appearing at events on the company's behalf.

Fogle's history with Subway reaches back to when he was a student at Indiana University. The college paper published a story on his weight loss that was then picked up by national media.

Soon after, Subway's advertising agency reached out to Fogle and asked if he wanted to be in a TV commercial. The ensuing ad campaign resonated in part because Fogle seemed like such a regular guy, which made weight loss seem simple and achievable.

In 2013, Subway celebrated the 15-year anniversary of Fogle's famous diet by featuring him in a Super Bowl ad and making him available to news organizations for interviews. At the time, Fogle said he still traveled regularly on behalf of Subway. He also said he had a Subway "black card" that let him eat at the chain for free.

The Associated Press