Home WebMail Friday, November 1, 2024, 05:32 AM | Calgary | -3.0°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Posted: 2015-08-19T23:40:52Z | Updated: 2015-08-20T17:15:39Z

Jared Fogle has agreed to what federal prosecutors are calling a "historic" plea deal in response to the charges he distributed child pornography and repeatedly pursued paid sex with minors.

As part of Fogle's plea deal announced Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of Indiana, the disgraced Subway pitchman will pay a total of $1.4 million in restitution to the 14 victims identified by prosecutors. Fogle faces up to 12 years in prison.

The restitution from the plea deal is the largest cash amount ever ordered for a child pornography or sex trafficking case in the history of the Southern District of Indiana, according to Tim Horty, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Indianapolis.

"One hundred thousand dollars per person is enough to get [the victims] into some counseling service and allow them the opportunity to -- at least in the prostitution situation -- get themselves out of that situation," Horty told The Huffington Post Wednesday.
Eight of Fogle's victims are still minors; the remaining ones are "now adults in desperate straits," Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven DeBrota told reporters Wednesday.
Though Horty was unable to go into specifics for privacy reasons, he told HuffPost of the victims' circumstances, "You can imagine life situation in general: Parents who were not particularly supportive, no financial means to even carry on with some of lifes basic necessities."
Horty also noted that "a couple of families had multiple victims."
The U.S. Attorney's office anticipated the victims will apply the restitution to needs like counseling, housing and education.
"It sounds like a lot of money, but its our opportunity to help make the victims whole, Horty said.