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Jared Fogle’s Partner in Sex Crimes Cops Plea

INDIANAPOLIS (CN) - The man who used to run a children's health charity for ex-Subway pitchman Jared Fogle agreed to plead guilty to sexually exploiting children.

Russell Taylor, 43, petitioned Tuesday to plead guilty in the Southern District of Indiana to 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and to one count of child pornography.

Taylor's plea comes just two weeks after Fogle agreed in terms to plead guilty to charges of having sex with minors and of receiving child pornography produced by Taylor.

Fogle gained fame after a diet of Subway sandwiches brought the Indiana man an incredible weight loss. After appearing in numerous ads for the chain starting in 2000, Fogle accumulated a net worth of $15 million.

He started the Jared Foundation in 2004, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting childhood obesity, and installed Taylor as that charity's director.

An April 29 raid of Taylor's home in Wayne Township uncovered multiple digital media cards that contained disturbing images and videos of child pornography.

Prosecutors said Taylor used hidden cameras throughout his home, and bathroom, to film nude minor children between March 2011 and April 2015.

The 12 children whom Taylor photographed in his home were mostly young girls, ranging in age from 11 to 16.

Some of the child pornography that Taylor obtained from the Internet portrayed children as young as 6, according to his plea agreement.

Court documents state that the minors were not aware they were being filmed, and that Taylor would sometimes share these recordings and images with Fogle.

"The Defendant and his friend Jared Fogle discussed among themselves the fact that the Defendant was secretly producing sexually explicit images and videos of minors in the Defendant' current and former residence in the Southern District of Indiana," the plea states. "Fogle chose to benefit from such production by obtaining access to a significant amount of such material over the time period."

At his sentencing on Nov. 19, Fogle could be put away for five to 12 ½ years.

Taylor meanwhile has agreed not to ask for a sentence of less than 15 years.

The prosecutor has agreed to seek more than 35 years, but Taylor's plea states the court will not be bound to any recommendations.

A May criminal complaint against Taylor gives a disturbing recitation of the images, and the activities that led law enforcement to him.

Apparently a woman identified only as Jane Doe went to authorities in September 2014 after Taylor offered to send her images of young girls via text messages.

Doe was friends with Taylor and his wife, and apparently their banter about sexual matters including bestiality took a turn that "concerned" Doe.

Doe shared one conversation in which Taylor had asked if he and a woman could come to Jane Doe's house, and engage in sexual activity with one of her horses. Jane Doe declined the request, but told a police interviewer that, "You could tell he was serious."

These and other text messages supported the search warrant that law enforcement obtained for Taylor's home.

The criminal charges aren't the only matters keeping Fogle and Taylor's attorneys busy.

Last week, Fogle filed a lawsuit against Taylor in Marion County, alleging damages from an unpaid loan that was allegedly used to purchase a home.

The complaint alleges that Taylor defaulted on his monthly payments since his May incarceration, and that he has failed to fully repay the $191,000 loan. Taylor signed the home over to his wife Angela, who is also listed in the suit, on June 2 of this year.

Taylor tried to kill himself in an Indiana jail cell back in May, and currently no date is set for his sentencing.

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