Bobby Edwards: Squatty Potty Founder’s FBI Arrest and Charges

Bobby Edwards, the co-founder and creator of Squatty Potty, was indicted in February 2026 on one federal count of receipt of child sexual abuse material and is being held in federal custody in Utah pending a jury trial scheduled to begin May 5, 2026. Edwards, 50, pleaded not guilty at his initial appearance and faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison if convicted.¹²

The Charge and Arrest

A federal grand jury in the District of Utah returned the indictment on February 10, 2026. FBI agents arrested Edwards two days later in Washington County, Utah, and the indictment was unsealed on February 23, when he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler in St. George, entered a not-guilty plea, and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.¹²

What the FBI Alleges

Prosecutors say the investigation began in March 2021, when an undercover FBI agent joined an online group chat used to trade child sexual abuse material. During a live-streamed Zoom meeting in which participants viewed such material, agents identified Edwards as one of the participants. According to prosecutors, Edwards was at a property he owned in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, during that initial session.¹²

The government alleges Edwards knowingly received the material over a roughly four-and-a-half-year period, from March 2021 through November 2025. In May 2025, the FBI identified four PayPal transactions allegedly tied to purchases of such material through Edwards’s account. Prosecutors say Edwards bought material from John Carver, a British citizen who was later convicted of child pornography offenses in the United Kingdom.¹²

On November 4, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Edwards’s residence and on his person. Agents seized a cell phone from his vehicle that contained multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material, some of which had been downloaded to the device just two weeks before the search. Additional devices containing similar material were recovered from his home.¹ Edwards told investigators that he was the former owner of Squatty Potty and that he had recently been in a drug rehabilitation center for methamphetamine addiction.²

What He Faces if Convicted

Receipt of child pornography is prosecuted under 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252 and 2252A. A first-time offender faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum of 20 years. The sentence can climb higher when aggravating factors are present, such as prior convictions for child sexual exploitation or material depicting violent or sadistic conduct. A repeat offender faces a 15-year mandatory minimum.³

Case Schedule and Defense

The case is filed as United States v. Edwards, Case No. 4:26-cr-00013, before U.S. District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Burton is prosecuting under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.⁴¹

Edwards has been in federal custody since his arrest. A detention hearing was set for March 2, 2026, at the federal courthouse in St. George, a change-of-plea hearing was set for March 30, and a four-day jury trial was scheduled to begin May 5, 2026. Edwards is represented by attorney Trevor Terry of Douglas T. Terry and Associates.⁴²

Squatty Potty’s Distance From the Case

Edwards has no current connection to the Squatty Potty brand. The Squatty Potty assets were sold in May 2021 to Aterian, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATER) in a transaction valued at approximately $32.1 million.⁵ After the indictment was unsealed, Aterian posted a statement through the Squatty Potty website saying the company has “no affiliation, partnership, or ongoing relationship” with Edwards, calling the allegations “abhorrent and wholly inconsistent with our company’s values” and noting that historical references to the Edwards family had been removed from the brand’s website.⁶

The Edwards family also issued a statement saying they are “heartbroken over the defendant’s alleged actions” and “stand firmly and unequivocally against child pornography and all forms of child exploitation,” adding that they have had no ownership, involvement, or financial stake in the brand since the 2021 sale.²

1
U.S. Department of Justice. Alleged Utah Child Predator and Creator of Squatty Potty Indicted
2
St. George News. Squatty Potty Creator Appears in St. George Court to Face Federal Child Pornography Charge
3
U.S. Department of Justice. Citizens Guide to U.S. Federal Law on Child Pornography
4
CourtListener. United States v. Edwards, 4:26-cr-00013
5
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Aterian, Inc. Exhibit 99.1
6
Squatty Potty. Statement