Child Sex, Prostitute Texts And More: 5 Things From 'Subway Jared' Sentencing

Former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle was sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison Thursday for a range of child sex crimes.

Fogle had already admitted to possessing and distributing child pornography and paying for sex with minors in August.

But four-plus hours of testimony from both sides Thursday yielded insights into the fall-from-grace of the man who used to be Milford-based Subway’s frontman.

Here were five takeaways.

1. Fogle speaks publicly for first time since home raid

“For most of my adult life, I’ve been in the spotlight, trying to be a role model,” a teary Fogle told the courtroom. “...I became dependent on alcohol, pornography and prostitutes.”

Fogle’s celebrity status and fall into crime was a major theme of the day’s proceedings.

“I owe a huge apology to the people who supported me and my positive messages the last 15 years,” he said.

2. “Mild” pedophilia?

Forensic psychiatrist John Bradford calling Fogle’s illness “mild pedophilia” was perhaps the most contentious moment of the proceedings.

“There’s no evidence I know that he molested a child,” Bradford said. “16- or 17-year-olds are not pre-pubertal children.”

Prosecutor Steve DeBrota didn’t take kindly to that assessment.

“So that’s a term you’ve come up with to provide scaling to the word pedophilia?” he said.

READ MORE

• Subway’s ‘Jared’ Has Home Raided In Child Porn Investigation: Reports
• Subway’s ‘Jared’ Bragged About Paying For Sex With 16-Year-Old Girl: Report
• FBI Informant: Jared the ‘Monster’ in a Child’s Bed
• Subway’s Jared Fogle Admits To Sex With Minors, Distributing Child Porn
• 5 Details You May Not Know About Subway Jared’s Child-Sex Case
• Victims of Former Subway Pitchman, Jared Fogle, Awarded $100,000 Apiece
• UPDATE: ‘Subway Jared’ Fogle Gets Harsh Prison Sentence For Underage Sex, Porn

3. Fogle’s texts

His correspondence with an 18-year-old prostitute was the major point of the prosecution’s case Thursday.

Fogle texted her things such as, “I’ll pay you big for a 14- or 15-year-old” and, “Did you find me some young girls or boys?”

Fogle would pay a $400 “finder’s fee” and at least $300 for the sex.

At one point, she asked him how much it would cost, and he responded, “Depends if they can prove their age.”

4. A tough judge

U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt didn’t go easy on Fogle by any means.

Besides sentencing him to three-plus years more than the prosecution asked for, she had perhaps the sharpest line of the day.

When Fogle lamented that his wife would have to raise their kids as a single mother, she interrupted and said, “You gave your wife $7 million. So she’ll be OK.”

5. What’s next?

Fogle has 14 days from Thursday to appeal his sentencing. Whether he is successful or not, he’ll still face significant prison time.

Once he’s out of prison, Fogle will have plenty of restrictions:

• No pornography
• No unsupervised visits with children
• Electronic surveillance
• Lifetime sex offender registration