Why Did Jared Fogle Once Bail An Accused Child Pornographer Out Of Jail?
Jared Fogle’s public persona seems to be falling deeper and deeper into an Orwellian memory hole since the shocking news of an FBI raid on his home earlier this week. People Magazine indicates that Fogle’s Zionsville, Indiana, neighbors haven’t even caught so much as a glimpse of Jared since the end of the 11-hour police operation at Fogle’s residence on Tuesday.
“We’re all just trying to be patient and let them do a full investigation, and hopefully he comes out not guilty,” one of Fogle’s neighbors told People.
But as Jared keeps things on the down-low, public scrutiny is now focusing upon his relationship with Russell Taylor, a business associate who is at the very heart of Fogle’s woes. As previously reported by Inquisitr, federal agents swarmed the pseudo-celebrity’s home on Tuesday morning, following up on allegations that Taylor produced and possessed child pornography while he worked as head of Fogle’s nonprofit organization, The Jared Foundation. The Daily Beast reports that Fogle was very close with Russell Taylor prior to their work together on the project.
“They were good friends before [Taylor] started working for him,” a source told The Daily Beast. “Jared basically created a position for him to help raise funds [for Fogle’s nonprofit agency] and do the administrative stuff Jared couldn’t do. He had experience with nonprofits.”
While their longstanding friendship isn’t exactly a bombshell, some of the recent history between the two raises far more questions, especially when juxtaposed with prior statements by Fogle himself. A report by AOL notes that Fogle released a statement publicly severing ties with Russell Taylor following Taylor’s initial arrest on child porn charges back in April. However, WISH TV notes that Fogle was personally involved in bailing Taylor out of jail on the first batch of state charges related to the aforementioned allegations, citing information provided by someone in Taylor’s family. Russell Taylor has since ben re-arrested on federal charges and remains in custody. His attorney has denied to comment on the relationship between Fogle and Taylor.
Fallout from the raid on Jared’s home has been swift and certain, as Subway quickly suspended their longtime relationship with Fogle, expunging his name and image from their website. The end of their business relationship will undoubtedly cost him thousands upon thousands in income while ending what seems to have been a steady demand for Fogle’s presence as a motivational speaker and author. Perhaps adding insult to injury, Jared Fogle’s cameo in the forthcoming movie Sharknado 3 was also edited out by the film’s producers.
[Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images]
