Jared Fogle Sentenced To Over 15 Years For Child Porn


Jared Fogle was sentenced today after striking a plea deal related to charges of possession and distribution of child pornography and traveling across state lines for commercial sex with a minor. The former Subway pitchman got a bit more than he bargained for when Judge Tanya Walton Pratt announced his sentence in an Indianapolis federal courtroom this afternoon, reports Indy Star. During an almost five-hour hearing, Judge Pratt sentenced Fogle to 15 years and eight months for his admitted crimes. This is over three years longer than the 12-and-a-half-year sentence that prosecutors were seeking as part of his plea deal.

While prosecutors can loosely negotiate terms during the plea bargaining process, the ultimate discretion for sentencing is solely the judge’s. In the case of Jared Fogle, Judge Pratt felt that the length of time sought by the prosecution in the case was inadequate. She stated that the advisory sentence of 135 to 168 months “does not sufficiently account for the defendant’s criminal conduct.”

Immediately following the sentencing, Jared Fogle was remanded into custody. He was cuffed, hands behind his back, by a U.S. Marshal after the four-hour, 42-minute hearing. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and he was led out of the courtroom after blowing a kiss to family members in attendance. It is reported that those family members were hugging and crying in the courtroom.

In addition to imposing a longer sentence on Jared Fogle than recommended by prosecutors in the case, Judge Pratt had harsh words for Fogle. She described his upbringing as privileged before calling him out for squandering his “professional windfall” due to his obsession with having sex with minors. While she sentenced Fogle, she pulled no punches in describing his sexual deviancy.

“Federal judges do not sentence based on emotion or public sentiment. The level of perversion and lawlessness exhibited by Mr. Fogle is extreme.”

The judge recommended that Jared Fogle serves his sentence in a prison facility in Littleton, Colorado. This is due to the prison’s program for handling and rehabilitating sex offenders. Because this is a federal sentence, Fogle will be required to serve no less than 85 percent of the time he’s been sentenced to before he is considered for release.

Fogle
[Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images]

She also brought up the issue of Jared Fogle being “a celebrity,” adding he would “likely” qualify for protection during his incarceration. She did give Fogle some credit for having already paid out $1.4 million in restitution to his victims, stating she believes that he possess sincere remorse for his repeated offenses.

Prior to the sentencing, the attorneys for Jared Fogle were seeking a term as short as five years, NBC News reports. They argued that Jared has already “lost everything” and will have to “live with what he’s done for the rest of his life.” During the hearing, Jared Fogle teared up and told the judge and entire courtroom that he wants to “redeem” his life and become a “good person.”

Jared Pleads Guilty To Child Sex
[Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images]

Judge Pratt clearly didn’t feel as though his remorse, tears, and a lifetime of guilt were adequate punishments for the crimes Fogle admitted to committing. While Fogle waited to be sentenced, the judge reviewed his crimes for the attendees, including possession of child pornography involving children as young as 6-years-old and asking adult sex workers to find children for Jared to have sex with in multiple states.

While Jared Fogle waited to be sentenced, his defense attorneys argued for a shorter sentence, presenting an expert witness for the court. Dr. John Bradford, a forensic psychiatrist, argued that Fogle only has a “mild case” of pedophilia and only a “low to moderate” risk of relapsing.

Prosecutors, who argued for and got a harsher sentence for Fogle, highlighted the nature of his crimes in Jared Fogle’s own words, through his texts and emails. In one of his confiscated exchanges, Fogel tried to exchange $300 for sex with a 15-year-old girl if she could “prove her age.” In Fogle’s own words: “It’s what I crave.”

What the judge craved as she sentenced Jared Fogle was clearly to see him appropriately punished for the crimes he committed. Of the 15 years and eight months he was sentenced, Fogle will serve a minimum of 13 years. He was also sentenced to pay a $175,000 fine, to register as a sex offender, and have his electronic devices monitored.

One thing that Jared Fogle’s lawyers said in court was very true. His sex offenses have cost him everything. He paid out $1.4 million to 14 of his victims ($100,000 each), he lost his lucrative Subway endorsement contract, and his wife has publicly stated she is going to divorce him. Now Jared Fogle has been sentenced to over 15 years in prison, leading many people believe that justice is being served.

[Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images]

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