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Former Subway spokesperson loses plea for shorter sentence same day Subway wins top sandwich brand of 2016

June 10, 2016

On the same day that the Harris Poll named Subway the 2016 Sandwich Shop Brand of the Year, the man whose face came to symbolize the chain for many years found out his 16-year jail sentence for charges related to child porn will not be reduced, according to numerous national news sources. 

Former Subway spokesman, Jared Fogle, was sentenced last year to 15 years and eight months in federal prison after his conviction in U.S. District Court for travelling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and distribution and receipt of child porn. Fogle appealed the sentence and Thursday an Appellate court judge panel in Chicago upheld the sentence, citing evidence that Fogle had repeatedly sought out sex with minors.

The 38-year-old Fogle was the center of a multi-year Subway promotional campaign centered around the weight he lost on a diet that included Subway sandwiches. Last November he pled guilty to charges of child porn and traveling for illicit sex with minors and was sentenced in U.S. District Court. He appealed the sentence's length, claiming it was longer than sentencing guidelines indicated. But, Thursday, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Chicago upheld the sentence based on the evidence. 

The case has been closely watched by just about everyone in business, but particularly those in food service, since it exemplifies one of the hazards any brand can face when employing an individual to represent the product. In Subway's case, the chain terminated Fogle when it became evident he would admit to the crimes in the case.