The ex-wife of former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle is suing the sandwich chain, claiming the company knew of he was a pedophile and failed to act on that knowledge.
You can read more about the lawsuit here.
Since the first raid on the Fogles’ Indiana home on July 7, 2015, his wife, Katie McLaughlin, 39, had remained silent.
On August 19, she broke her silence, telling the world that she will divorce her husband of five years, saying, “Obviously, I am extremely shocked and disappointed by the recent developments involving Jared. I am in the process of seeking a dissolution of the marriage. My focus is exclusively on the well-being of my children.” McLaughlin concluded her statement by asking for privacy in the wake of her husband’s actions. Fogle and McLaughlin have two young children together.
She spoke out again more than a year later, in October 2016, when she filed the lawsuit against Subway.
“Finding out that your husband and the father of your children is a child predator, and knowing that his job involved him visiting schools on a regular basis is devastating,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Finding out that Subway did not act upon at least one complaint while continuing to utilize Jared as their spokesperson and facilitate his visits to those hundreds of schools is beyond comprehension.”
Fogle was sentenced to 15 years and 6 months in prison on November 19, 2015. Read more about his sentence here.
McLaughlin and Fogle’s divorce was finalized that same month.
Here’s what you need to know about Jared Fogle’s ex-wife:
1. They Met Through Fogle’s Brother
(Screengrab via YouTube)
McLaughlin is a former teacher who studied at Indiana University, Fogle’s alma-mater. In a 2013 feature in the New York Daily News, Fogle said he spends most of his spare time with Katie and their children.
According to McLaughlin, the couple have known each other since 2000, when she was friends with Fogle’s brother. In 2013, she told USA Today that being Fogle’s wife had forced her to become an accomplished photographer due to the endless stream of people wanting to take a picture with him.
2. Fogle Called Her the ‘Most Supportive Woman’
The couple were married in August 2010 after becoming engaged in November 2009. People Magazine reported that Fogle proposed to Fogle at Indiana University. He told the magazine at the time, “She’s been so wonderful and caring. She’s just been the most supportive woman. I couldn’t ask for more.”
McLaughlin is two years younger than Fogle. At the time of the engagement, Fogle had gained 40 pounds and planned to lose it. Later in their relationship, Fogle ran the New York City Marathon. He said McLaughlin had been “very understanding through all these training runs and the time commitment it’s taking. It’s a sacrifice like anything else.”
3. Subway Had Begun to Include McLaughlin in a Series of New Ads
(Getty)
Prior to his arrest, Fogle had resurfaced in a major way as a spokesperson for Subway. His role with the company had been played down in the late 2000s after the company began to focus on marketing their foot-long sandwiches. In a spot that was airing at the time of his arrest, Fogle was shown with his wife and their two young kids in animated form going into a Subway restaurant. The disgraced spokesman told Bloomberg in June 2015:
My life is evolved. The next step in my story is I have a family, and a lot of parents can relate to that. You want to be a role model for your children, and obviously one of the most important things is maintaining the weight, keeping it off.
4. Fogle’s First Wife Got a Restraining Order Against Him During Their Divorce in 2008
Fogle walking the runway at the Project Subway show during Nolcha Fashion Week New York Spring/Summer 2014. (Getty)
McLaughlin is Fogle’s second wife. In 2008, Fogle divorced his first wife, Elizabeth, a nurse, and paid her $230,000 in alimony, reports the National Enquirer. That piece said that Fogle had a steady girlfriend at the time of his divorce. During that time, Radar Online reports, Elizabeth Fogle got a restraining order against the former Subway spokesman.
5. Fogle Told One Victim, ‘the Younger the Girl, the Better’
Fogle admitted to traveling to New York City to pay to have sex with a young girl. (U.S. Attorney’s Office)
During the initial raid on his home, McLaughlin was seen leaving the home with the couple’s two young children. According to documents in the case, between 2010 and 2013, Fogle went to New York City to pay for sex with minors. In one instance, he told a 16-year-old via text that his preference for partners was “the younger the girl, the better.”
On Fogle’s home computer, in the 4500 block of Woods Edge Drive in Zionsville, Indiana, pornographic images of boys and girls were found. As part of his plea deal, he will spend at least the next five years in prison, must pay $100,000 in restitution to each of 14 victims, and will have to register as a sex offender. The former Subway spokesman will have to undergo a sexual disorders program, will have his computer devices subjected to random checks and will be forbidden from having unsupervised meetings with children.
Russell Taylor pictured after his arrest. (Handout)
Earlier in 2015, Fogle’s friend Russell Taylor was arrested as part of a child porn investigation. As a result, Taylor’s role within Fogle’s charity foundation was terminated. The Indianapolis Star reports that Taylor, 43, was accused of child exploitation and child pornography. According to the feds, after searching Taylor’s home, agents found over 400 videos of child porn.
Subway pitchman Jared Fogle led by FBI from evidence truck in driveway of his Zionsville home: criminal investigation http://t.co/tD5cFwe2ss
Following Taylor’s arrest, Fogle released a statement saying, “I was shocked to learn of the disturbing allegations against Mr. Taylor. Effective immediately, the Jared Foundation is severing all ties with Mr. Taylor.” On May 6, Taylor unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide. The main aim of the Jared Foundation is to create awareness of childhood obesity. In Fogle’s plea agreement, he admitted receiving explicit images of children as young as six from Taylor. Those pictures were taken from hidden cameras in Taylor’s home.
