Jared Fogle became sex fiend after weight loss
His Subway diet made him a sex fiend.
Disgraced former Subway spokesman and Jared Fogle became hypersexual after he dropped 245 pounds on a diet of turkey and veggies subs, forensic psychiatrist Dr. John Bradford said in court Thursday.
Fogle pleaded guilty to child porn and sex crime charges Thursday, admitting that he collected graphic images of children as young as 6 and paid for sex with underage girls, as prosecutors said he spent at least $12,000 a year on prostitution.
The onetime Subway icon fought back tears as he addressed a judge before sentancing Thursday.
“For most of my adult life, I've been in the spotlight, trying to be a role model,” he said. “...I became dependent on alcohol, pornography and prostitutes.”
Bradford said Fogle battled compulsive eating disorder throughout college. Once he slimmed down on Subway subs — a diet that made him the face of the sandwich chain — he developed hypersexual disorder, the doctor said.
“Once he lost weight, it seemed as though in a short time he had hyper-sexuality,” he said, according to the Indianapolis Star. “There are brain disorders that can be associated with sexual drive.”
Bradford, a professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada, said Fogle told him he had sex with minors age 16 and 17 and had “a fairly extensive history” of using prostitutes. He says Fogle told him he masturbated to fantasies about prepubescent girls — but that there's no evidence he acted on them.
The doctor’s testimony came after U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt accepted Fogle pleaded guilty to one count each of travelling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and distribution and receipt of child pornography.
Prosecutors are seeking a 12 ½-year sentence, while Fogle's attorneys have asked for five years. But federal judges have wide discretion: U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt could go beyond the prosecution's recommendation and sentence the fast food icon to up to 50 years behind bars.
Fogle's legal team said his ruined career is its own punishment.
“No one wants to be Jared Fogle. He is a laughing stock — a pariah. And he did it to himself,” a defense lawyer said, arguing for the shorter sentence.
In August, Fogle confessed to collecting child pornography and paying for sex with teen prostitutes as young as 16. He agreed to plead guilty to the charges.
The former Subway star, who lost his job amid the investigation, previously agreed to pay a total of $1.4 million to his 14 victims, with each getting $100,000.
The fast food icon’s downfall started when federal officials raided his suburban Indianapolis home in July and seized several computers and DVDs from the married dad.
Michael Conroy/AP
Jared Fogle leaves the Federal Courthouse in Indianapolis on Aug. 19, 2015.
The fast food icon’s downfall started when federal officials raided his suburban Indianapolis home in July and seized several computers and DVDs from the married dad.
Investigators arrived with a warrant after the former head of Fogle’s childhood obesity charity was arrested earlier this year on similar child porn charges.
Fogle, 38, later admitted that he got some of his child porn, which featured children as young as 6, from the Jared Foundation’s ex-director Russell Taylor. Authorities said Taylor secretly filmed 12 minors as they were nude — and prosecutors said Fogle got his hands on material showing eight of the dozen children.
Fogle could have stopped Taylor from victimizing some of minors, prosecutors have said, but he instead encouraged Taylor to produce additional child pornography.
Taylor has agreed to plead guilty to child exploitation and child pornography charges.
His Subway diet made him a sex fiend.
Disgraced former Subway spokesman and Jared Fogle became hypersexual after he dropped 245 pounds on a diet of turkey and veggies subs, forensic psychiatrist Dr. John Bradford said in court Thursday.
Fogle pleaded guilty to child porn and sex crime charges Thursday, admitting that he collected graphic images of children as young as 6 and paid for sex with underage girls, as prosecutors said he spent at least $12,000 a year on prostitution.
The onetime Subway icon fought back tears as he addressed a judge before sentancing Thursday.
“For most of my adult life, I've been in the spotlight, trying to be a role model,” he said. “...I became dependent on alcohol, pornography and prostitutes.”
Bradford said Fogle battled compulsive eating disorder throughout college. Once he slimmed down on Subway subs — a diet that made him the face of the sandwich chain — he developed hypersexual disorder, the doctor said.
“Once he lost weight, it seemed as though in a short time he had hyper-sexuality,” he said, according to the Indianapolis Star. “There are brain disorders that can be associated with sexual drive.”
Bradford, a professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada, said Fogle told him he had sex with minors age 16 and 17 and had “a fairly extensive history” of using prostitutes. He says Fogle told him he masturbated to fantasies about prepubescent girls — but that there's no evidence he acted on them.
The doctor’s testimony came after U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt accepted Fogle pleaded guilty to one count each of travelling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and distribution and receipt of child pornography.
Prosecutors are seeking a 12 ½-year sentence, while Fogle's attorneys have asked for five years. But federal judges have wide discretion: U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt could go beyond the prosecution's recommendation and sentence the fast food icon to up to 50 years behind bars.
Fogle's legal team said his ruined career is its own punishment.
“No one wants to be Jared Fogle. He is a laughing stock — a pariah. And he did it to himself,” a defense lawyer said, arguing for the shorter sentence.
In August, Fogle confessed to collecting child pornography and paying for sex with teen prostitutes as young as 16. He agreed to plead guilty to the charges.
The former Subway star, who lost his job amid the investigation, previously agreed to pay a total of $1.4 million to his 14 victims, with each getting $100,000.
The fast food icon’s downfall started when federal officials raided his suburban Indianapolis home in July and seized several computers and DVDs from the married dad.
Jared Fogle leaves the Federal Courthouse in Indianapolis on Aug. 19, 2015.
The fast food icon’s downfall started when federal officials raided his suburban Indianapolis home in July and seized several computers and DVDs from the married dad.
Investigators arrived with a warrant after the former head of Fogle’s childhood obesity charity was arrested earlier this year on similar child porn charges.
Fogle, 38, later admitted that he got some of his child porn, which featured children as young as 6, from the Jared Foundation’s ex-director Russell Taylor. Authorities said Taylor secretly filmed 12 minors as they were nude — and prosecutors said Fogle got his hands on material showing eight of the dozen children.
Fogle could have stopped Taylor from victimizing some of minors, prosecutors have said, but he instead encouraged Taylor to produce additional child pornography.
Taylor has agreed to plead guilty to child exploitation and child pornography charges.
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