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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Jared Fogle’s Partner in Kiddie Porn Sentenced

INDIANAPOLIS (CN) - The supplier of Jared Fogle's child pornography, who at the time directed Fogle's charity for children - received a sentence Thursday of 27 years in federal prison and lifetime supervision.

Russell Taylor's sentencing comes three months after he pleaded guilty to 12 counts of producing child pornography, and to one count of distribution. The 44-year-old has been behind bars since the April 29 raid of his home in Wayne Township.

Authorities raided Fogle's Zionsville, Ind., home three months later, and the former Subway sandwiches pitchman quickly reached a plea deal of his own amid evidence of his child-porn collection and his interactions with underage prostitutes.

Investigators found that it was Taylor, the director of Fogle's charity, who produced some of Fogle's porn stash. Taylor used hidden cameras throughout his home, and bathroom, to film nude children.

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

Taylor admitted to having also obtained child pornography on the Internet that portrayed children as young as 6.

At the former charity director's sentencing Thursday, Taylor wore a green prison jumpsuit and shackles.

U.S. Judge Tanya Pratt handed down a sentence of 27 years for the production of child pornography, and 20 years on the single count of distribution.

Taylor can serve the sentences concurrently, but he faces lifetime supervision after his release.

Fogle will be out of prison sooner, having been sentenced last month to 15 years in prison.

Though Fogle's plea deal called for a maximum 12 1/2-year sentence, Judge Pratt found a harsher sentence in order based on Fogle's familiarity with the people whom Taylor filmed secretly for porn.

Pratt was not bound by the sentencing agreement for Taylor either.

Though the defense sought a sentence of 15 to 23 years, prosecutors asked for a 35-year sentence, noting the damages done to the minor victims.

"His actions greatly impacted the lives of 12 children and their families," a sentencing memo from U.S. Attorney Steven DeBrota says. "Some of the victims were related to him. He denied them their vital and personal right to grow up free from sexual exploitation and interference by adults," the prosecution stated in its sentencing documents."

Taylor's lawyers cited their client's turbulent childhood as a basis for leniency, saying he had an abusive mother and was sexually abused by an older boy and that boy's father between the ages of 5 and 8.

The defense also characterized Taylor's relationship with the millionaire Fogle as "complicated and inappropriate," saying Fogle threatened to take away Taylor's lavish lifestyle if he did not do as Fogle asked.

"Mr. Taylor and Mr. Fogle maintained a psychologically abusive relationship," a defense memo by Brad Banks with Banks & Brower says. "Despite contentions made by Mr. Fogle, Mr. Fogle regularly requested additional videos of the minor children be made and even offered to provide Mr. Taylor with more sophisticated equipment to do so. Mr. Fogle maintained control over Mr. Taylor's job, owned the home Mr. Taylor was living in, and provided a lavish number of experiences to Mr. Taylor. Mr. Fogle had the perfect person to carry out his sexually deviant pursuits, all the while attempting to insulate himself from the risks of the conduct."

The bizarre relationship between the two men also included instances in which Fogle would refer to himself as Taylor's "daddy," according to court documents, which note that Fogle often reminded Taylor that "Daddy" was paying for his things.

The prosecution presented a more sinister picture that said "Taylor has a long-standing and persistent pattern of criminal activity involving both the production of child pornography and related sexual activity."

"While he began cooperating after his arrest, this does not erase the significance of his poor impulse control and the number of his victims," the memo continues. "In addition, he victims many members of his own family and their friends he knew well."

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