Jared Fogle, the longtime Subway spokesman known as Jared from Subway, is serving a 15-year and 8-month federal prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2015 to distributing and receiving child pornography and to traveling across state lines to pay for sex with minors. He is held at Federal Correctional Institution Englewood, a low-security facility in Littleton, Colorado, with a projected release date of March 24, 2029.
Fogle rose to national recognition in the late 1990s after losing 245 pounds, and he fronted Subway’s advertising for more than 15 years. That ended on July 7, 2015, when federal agents raided his home in Zionsville, Indiana, and Subway cut ties with him the same day.
What He Pleaded Guilty To
In August 2015, Fogle agreed to plead guilty to two federal offenses. The first was under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A, which criminalizes distributing and receiving child pornography through interstate commerce.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2252A – Certain Activities Relating to Material Constituting or Containing Child Pornography Prosecutors established that Fogle knowingly exchanged prohibited material over an extended period.
The second charge came under 18 U.S.C. § 2423, which covers traveling across state lines to engage in illegal sexual conduct with minors and carries a potential sentence of up to 30 years per count.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2423 – Transportation of Minors Federal investigators presented evidence that he made multiple trips to other states specifically to pay for sex acts with underage victims.
How Russell Taylor Fits In
The investigation began with an associate. Russell Taylor was the executive director of the Jared Foundation, a nonprofit Fogle had established to address childhood obesity. Between March 2011 and April 2015, Taylor used hidden cameras in his own residences to secretly record 12 minors, and he shared that material with Fogle.3FBI. Jared Fogle Co-Defendant Sentenced in Federal Court on Child Exploitation and Distribution of Child Pornography Charges
According to prosecutors, Fogle and Taylor discussed that Taylor was recording the minors, and Fogle knowingly received the material. Fogle did not produce the recordings himself. Taylor was convicted on 12 counts of child exploitation and one count of distributing child pornography, and he received a 27-year federal prison sentence with lifetime supervised release.3FBI. Jared Fogle Co-Defendant Sentenced in Federal Court on Child Exploitation and Distribution of Child Pornography Charges
The Sentence
U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Fogle on November 19, 2015. She imposed 188 months on each count, to run concurrently, totaling 15 years and 8 months. During the hearing, Judge Pratt said Fogle had been “obsessed” with pornography and having sex with minors.3FBI. Jared Fogle Co-Defendant Sentenced in Federal Court on Child Exploitation and Distribution of Child Pornography Charges
The sentence also included lifetime supervised release after prison and a requirement to register as a sex offender.
Where He Is Now and When He Gets Out
Bureau of Prisons records list Fogle at FCI Englewood, a low-security facility in Littleton, Colorado, with a projected release date of March 24, 2029. That date reflects credit earned for good behavior.
Federal inmates sentenced after November 1, 1987, are not eligible for parole. The Sentencing Reform Act eliminated parole for federal offenses, so prisoners must serve the vast majority of their time.4Federal Bureau of Prisons. About Inmate Legal Matters The one mechanism for shortening a federal sentence is good-time credit, which lets inmates earn up to 54 days off per year for maintaining clean disciplinary records.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3624 – Release of a Prisoner That credit accounts for the gap between the full sentence and the 2029 projection.
Restitution and Civil Fallout
The plea agreement required Fogle to pay $1.4 million in restitution, divided among the identified victims. The Jared Foundation was shut down.
At least one victim filed a separate civil lawsuit against Fogle in March 2016, seeking a minimum of $300,000 in damages for personal injury and emotional distress. That suit was later dropped. Civil claims operate independently from criminal restitution, so victims could pursue additional compensation beyond the amount ordered by the court.
Appeals That Went Nowhere
Fogle has tried several times to reduce or overturn his sentence. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the 188-month sentence after his direct appeal. He then filed a motion to vacate, arguing his guilty plea was involuntary because he had, as he put it, mistakenly pleaded to a “conspiracy” charge. The court rejected that argument.
Later filings grew more unusual. He challenged the constitutionality of the one-year time limit for filing post-conviction motions and, in a separate effort, claimed to be a “sovereign citizen” not subject to the court’s jurisdiction. None of these challenges succeeded, and his conviction and sentence remain intact.
Life After Prison
When Fogle is released, he will begin lifetime supervised release. A federal probation officer will monitor his living arrangements, internet use, and contact with minors, and any violation can send him back to prison.
He will also have to register as a sex offender in every jurisdiction where he lives, works, or attends school. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, offenders must make periodic in-person appearances to verify their information and give advance notice of intended travel.6Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Current Law For offenses as serious as his, registration is typically a lifetime obligation, so even after 2029 he will remain under significant government oversight.