Jared Fogle, the former poster boy for Subway sandwiches, is expressing regret over the “mistakes” that landed him behind bars.
The 44-year-old convicted pedophile reflected on his crimes in a handwritten letter exclusive obtained by the New York Post. Fogle is currently locked up at the Federal Correctional Institution in Colorado, where he is serving a 15-year prison sentence for child pornography charges and paying for sex with an underage girl. In the letter, dated Nov. 7, 2021, Fogle tells the unidentified recipient he’s constantly thinking about all the people he let down, “especially my family.”
“I really royally screwed up to wind up where I am,” the father-of-two wrote. “I was selfish and entitled.”
Fogle pleaded guilty to child sex tourism and child pornography charges back in 2015, more than a decade after he became a Subway spokesperson. The Indianapolis native rose to fame after the fast food chain used his drastic weight loss story in their advertising campaigns. Fogle reportedly dropped 245 pounds in one year by eating Subway sandwiches and adopting a daily walking regimen. He claimed to have weighed more than 425 pounds while a student at Indiana University.
“I run four to five miles every day and am the most healthy and in shape I’ve ever been,” he wrote in the letter. “We don’t have a lot of control over our daily lives in prison but working out is one of the things I can control. I currently weigh 180 pounds. I try to avoid too much junk food. I snack on granola bars and protein bars. I feel really good physically and mentally.”
Fogle also shut down reports he was studying culinary arts in prison, saying the pandemic has forced the facility to limit its training programs for inmates. However, he insists he’s doing “everything I can to get busy living and make the most of this unwanted experience.”
“I really miss the small things like walking barefoot on carpet, sleeping on a nice comfy mattress, eating with real silverware, having access to a microwave …” he continued. “All I can do is learn from my mistakes to be a better man when I get released in a few years. I very much look forward to restarting my life and enjoying every moment with my family who have stood by and supported me. I’m so lucky to have them.”
Fogle goes on to say that he won’t be eligible for release until he completes 85 percent of his sentence. According to Federal Bureau of Prisons records, Fogle will remain behind bars until at least March 24, 2029. Upon his release, he will be required to register as a sex offender.
