As he was being led from the courtroom in handcuffs, the father of two blew kisses to crying relatives.
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And Bradford said Fogle told him he had engaged in sex with minors of 16 and 17 years of age and said that he had a sexual attraction in adolescents.
Fogle was arrested in July after the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided his home and confiscated his computer and electronic equipment. “He denies he ever touched a child”, Bradford testified, adding that Fogle spent a minimum of $US12,000 ($16,000) a year on prostitutes.
“I wish we had more time”.
The sentencing recommendation leaves the door open for further charges against Fogle if other evidence emerges. Fogle could have stopped Taylor from victimizing a few of minors, prosecutors have said, but he instead encouraged Taylor to produce additional child pornography.
As part of his plea deal, prosecutors had agreed not to recommend more than 12 and a half years in prison, and Fogle’s defense attorneys agreed not to ask for less than 5 years.
Sentenced… Jared Fogle is set to spend the next 15 years in jail.
Fogle rocketed to stardom in 2000, when Milford, Conn.-based Subway plucked Fogle out of obscurity in IN after he lost 245 pounds eating the chain’s sandwiches.
Prosecutors later called an Indianapolis detective who read text messages sent by Fogle soliciting underage prostitution. Taylor, who co-operated in the investigation and has yet to be sentenced, would tape his young family members and their friends for Fogle, prosecutors have said.
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt rejected the plea deal and sentenced him to 15.6 years in prison. Fogle was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, local media reported.
He said Fogle’s diagnosis was “mild pedophilia” and hypersexuality that would require counseling and antidepressants. He admitted to paying for sex with teenage girls and receiving child pornography.
Fogle told the federal judge presiding over his change-of-plea and sentencing hearing Thursday that he understands the charges and possible sentences. Taylor has agreed to plead guilty to child exploitation and child pornography charges.
In their sentencing memorandum seeking a five-year prison term, Fogle’s attorneys said he “is profoundly sorry for what he has done”.
“What will you tell the judge?”, reporters asked.
“Where do I even try to begin, your honor?”
One month later, Subway announced it was permanently cutting ties with Fogle.
Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle may serve time at a federal lockup in Jefferson County.
The prisoner is known for his appearance in the Subway restaurant commercials, as he experienced dramatic weight loss from supposedly eating exclusively from the website. Taylor had served as the executive director of the Jared Foundation.
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Fogle walked into the courthouse in downtown Indianapolis about 8 a.m. Thursday.
