Residents of Bergen County may have taken notice of a high-profile criminal trial relating to sexual malfeasance by a national celebrity. Jared Fogle, the prominent former spokesperson for the Subway restaurant chain, has been sentenced to over 15 years of imprisonment after a pleading guilty to receipt of child pornography and other crimes of a sexual nature.
Mr. Fogle has admitted to several forms of sexual misconduct, including paying money for sexual relations with girls as young as 16 years of age and paying a business associate of his, a man who had been secretly filming young girls with concealed cameras, to provide him with videos of the young women in various states of undress.
Mr. Fogle also agreed to disburse compensatory payments of $100,000 to each of the 14 young women involved in the case. The Subway corporation has formally severed their business relationship with Mr. Fogle.
Sex crimes are some of the most severely chastised crimes in modern American society, especially when an underage child was involved. Criminal penalties that include years of prison time are not uncommon. It is important to take an active role in the defense against such serious accusations. An attorney may be able to help an individual who faces charges like these as they attempt to organize exculpatory evidence, contest the allegations of the prosecution and advocate for less stringent sentencing when necessary. If the case against the accused appears to be overwhelmingly strong, then it may be wise to attempt to negotiate a plea bargain and choose to plead guilty to some charges in exchange for concessions like dropping other charges or more lenient sentencing.
Source: FOX News, "Ex-Subway spokesman Jared Fogle gets more than 15 years in prison", Nov. 19, 2015