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In the 2010s, Robert “Bobby” Edwards invented and co-founded Squatty Potty.
In 2021, the company sold for $19 million.
According to a multi-year investigation and a federal grand jury indictment, Edwards has used some of the proceeds to purchase child sex-abuse material (CSAM).
He has since been arrested. His defense, such as it is, explains very little.
From inventing the Squatty Potty to a chilling arrest
Utah entrepreneur Robert “Bobby” Edwards, 50, made a name for himself — and a tremendous amount of money — with the invention of the Squatty Potty.
From his Shark Tank debut, his product became a sensation, selling millions and becoming a household name.
In 2021, the company that Edwards co-founded sold for $19 million.
That was the same year when federal authorities launched an investigation into him, The Salt Lake City Tribune reports.
The investigation found that he had participated in secretive online groups that viewed, swapped, and purchased photos and videos of the sexual abuse of children.
After years of investigating, authorities obtained a federal grand jury indictment for Edwards for the receipt of child pornography on February 10.
Just days later, he was arrested in Washington County.
On Monday, February 23, he pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors asked the court to hold Edwards in custody.
It’s likely that they consider him a flight risk, given his considerable financial means — with even some of his alleged crimes taking place when he was in other countries.
CSAM investigators have high burnout because they witness true horrors
The investigation into Edwards and others in the alleged online CSAM ring sounds nothing short of harrowing.
According to unsealed documents, an agent at one point clicked a Zoom link within the group chat — taking them into a virtual meeting room where others were watching child sexual abuse videos.
Documents show that Edwards was visible on camera during this appalling scene. Photos of Edwards from his Zoom profile page apparently matched the live footage of him.
Authorities did not simply rely upon his facial appearance to make their case.
They traced his IP address, showing that he was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
According to prosecutors, online payment processors flagged Edwards’ transactions with a UK man named John Carver.
Carver was arrested and ultimately convicted for distributing CSAM — and for blackmailing buyers.
Apparently, four of Edwards’ payments to Carver were flagged.
Carver apparently had a scheme involving advertising on Telegram, soliciting money through PayPal, and only then providing links to the horrific footage of children’s lives being ruined.
Prosecutors also said that Carver participated in the Zoom gatherings, where he distributed samples of his abhorrent media catalogue.
‘5+ is preferred’ is such a casual remark when discussing real child victims
In November, law enforcement was able to directly search Edwards’ home. There, they found multiple devices containing CSAM.
This was not a one-time collection. They identified some files that had been downloaded just a couple of weeks earlier.
They also found harrowing messages of Edwards negotiating his personal tastes as casually as a normal person would discuss, say, a taste in drawings or preferences for food toppings.
“Hey brother, Id love to perv but into most all just not into babies. 5+ is preferred,” read one chilling message.
Edwards apparently denied any “recollection of viewing child pornography” when speaking to agents. He told investigators about an addiction to methamphetamine, which one can only assume will be a factor in his planned legal defense.
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