The obligatory "feds raid Subway spokesman Jared Fogle's home allegedly in connection with child porn probe" post

This is the only thing Twitter seems to want to talk about on this slow-news summer morning, replete with various crummy jokes about the “five-dollar footlongs” Fogle might soon be encountering in prison, so here’s your thread in case you’re following it too. I think I speak for all of America in saying that if I heard yesterday that a major fast-food spokesman would soon be linked to a child porn investigation, I would have guessed it was “the King.”

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Oh, one minor point before Fogle’s life is destroyed, in case we haven’t already reached that moment after three hours of social-media banter: Is there any confirmation anywhere that he’s the target of this investigation?

Federal authorities raided the home of Subway spokesman Jared Fogle Tuesday morning. FBI sources told FOX59 state and federal investigators were serving warrants at Fogle’s Zionsville home in connection with a child pornography investigation.

The raid started around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday. An evidence truck could be seen parked in the driveway. Investigators from the FBI and Indiana State Police were at the scene.

Earlier this year, Russell Taylor, the former director of the Jared Foundation started by Fogle, was arrested in a child pornography case. He was accused of possessing and producing child pornography. Investigators said a search of Taylor’s home turned up more than 500 videos with images of child pornography. In May, Taylor unsuccessfully tried to kill himself while in jail.

As of 11 a.m. ET, the Indianapolis Star says it hasn’t immediately confirmed why police are at the home but WTHR in Indianapolis claims that they are indeed on the scene “as part of a child porn investigation.” Usually when cops roll up to someone’s home with a warrant looking for kiddie porn, the homeowner’s the target — but then, most homeowners don’t have a former business associate who’s already been busted for child porn himself. Could it be that it’s Taylor, not Fogle, who’s the target of this probe, with the police possibly suspicious that Taylor stashed some of his contraband in Fogle’s home? Here’s an update from TMZ, which also says the police are there investigating child porn:

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We’ve obtained the criminal complaint against Taylor … and it says police recovered a 4 GB thumb drive and his employer, the Jared Foundation, was listed in a file name. Inside that file was a folder labeled, “Good stuff.” Cops found a bunch of child pornography in that folder.

Since Taylor mixed work files with child porn … it could explain why the FBI is searching Fogle’s home. Jared himself, is not mentioned in the docs police found at Taylor’s home office.

FBI agents are removing “electronics” from Fogle’s home this morning, but as TMZ says, if Taylor had access to computers or servers there due to his work for the Jared Foundation, he could have conceivably stashed porn files on them without Fogle knowing. In fact, Fogle wasn’t implicated by police when Taylor was initially busted. Maybe the investigation’s developed since then to implicate him now, but we should … probably wait for confirmation before pronouncing this guy a pedophile who’s forever unfit for civilized society, right?

One thing gives me pause: If Fogle’s not the target of this raid, the feds really, really, really should have made that clear to the public before sending people in, right? Even waiting just a few hours to issue that statement will leave this guy’s reputation in ashes and probably cost him his deal with Subway, so if they’re not clearing him in advance, presumably they have a good reason not to do so. Hmmmm. Exit question: If Fogle is the target of the raid, leaving him and Taylor both facing child-porn charges, then … what was going on at the Jared Foundation?

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Update: A CBS source claims Fogle is indeed a suspect:

A law enforcement source has confirmed to CBS News that Subway restaurant spokesman Jared Fogle is a suspect in a child pornography investigation…

CBS affiliate WISH and The Indianapolis Star report the house belongs to Fogle and that he was detained while electronics were removed from the home and analyzed inside a mobile forensics van.

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David Strom 5:20 PM | April 15, 2024
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