Bestiality Texts From Jared Fogle's Friend Led To His Undoing

By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Sep 2, 2015 5:05PM

Jared Fogle gets into a car in front of the courthouse on August 19, 2015 in Indianapolis. (Photo by Joey Foley/Getty Images)

There were all sorts of signs that something was awry with Subway spokesman Jared Fogle and the director of his charitable foundation Russell Taylor.

But now federal prosecutors are describing how one disturbing tip from a friend of Taylor lead them to a key piece of evidence that ultimately led to the undoing of both Fogle and Taylor: Taylor's stash of child pornography. Both Taylor and Fogle have agreed to plead guilty to child pornography charges.

"If she doesn't make the phone call, we don't find out about Taylor," Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve DeBrota told The Indianapolis Star. "If we don't find out about Taylor, we don't find out about Fogle. And 14 (young victims) wouldn't have been rescued."

The Indianapolis woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, alerted authorities that something was awry last September. Taylor was a friend of her late husband, but communication between them went from friendly to flirty to disturbing. At one point, Taylor offered to send Jane Doe child pornography. He also asked her to come over to engage in an act of bestiality with another woman. That's when she alerted police and turned over her cell phone for evidence. The Star writes:

The series of text messages included an offer by Taylor to provide her with images of various illegal pornographic acts, including of young girls. She declined. In one of those text messages, according to the affidavit, "Russell Taylor asked her if he and another adult female she identified could come to Jane Doe's residence and engage in" an act of bestiality. The woman did not agree to that request, but told investigators "you could tell (Taylor) was serious." She also told investigators that "she received an image file via text from Russell Taylor that depicted (another act of bestiality)."

Those texts and her call to police sparked an investigation that led to authorities finding videos that Taylor secretly recorded videos of naked girls between 11 and 16 in a bathroom and also in a bedroom. Taylor later admitted to secretly producing videos of 12 children that he knew and sharing them with Fogle.

Taylor agreed to take a plea deal on Tuesday. Both he and Fogle are awaiting sentencing in the case. Fogle is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 19, and Taylor doesn't have a sentencing date yet.