The multimillionaire US entrepreneur and co-founder of the popular bathroom stool brand Squatty Potty has been arrested and hit with federal charges for allegedly buying and receiving countless child sex abuse materials, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
Robert Edwards, 50, was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 10 and arrested two days later in Washington County. During his initial court appearance, he pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail by US Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler in St. George.
According to the press release, Edwards is charged with receipt of child pornography for allegedly receiving multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) between March 2021 and November 2025.
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FBI investigation into Robert Edwards
Federal authorities said the investigation began in March 2021, when an undercover FBI agent joined an online group chat used to trade CSAM. In the chat’s online meeting room, participants allegedly viewed a collection of videos being streamed on a main screen. Individuals in the meeting were visible to one another, and one user was later identified by investigators as Edwards.
{{/usCountry}}Federal authorities said the investigation began in March 2021, when an undercover FBI agent joined an online group chat used to trade CSAM. In the chat’s online meeting room, participants allegedly viewed a collection of videos being streamed on a main screen. Individuals in the meeting were visible to one another, and one user was later identified by investigators as Edwards.
{{/usCountry}}The probe continued over the next several years. In May 2025, FBI agents learned that Edwards was suspected of purchasing additional CSAM through his PayPal account. According to the indictment, four transactions linked to his account were flagged as possibly related to such material.
On November 4, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Edwards and his residence. Agents seized a cellphone from his vehicle that allegedly “contained multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material”. According to the authorities, some of the files had been downloaded just two weeks before the search warrant was executed. Additional electronic devices seized from his residence were also found to contain CSAM files, officials said.
Edwards is scheduled to return to court on March 2, 2026, for a detention hearing at the federal courthouse in St. George.
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Who is Robert Edwards?
Edwards co-founded Squatty Potty in 2011 along with his mother, Judy Edwards, after developing the toilet footstool to help address her constipation issues. The product gained national attention after being pitched to investor Lori Greiner on the television show “Shark Tank,” turning the Utah-based family business into a multimillion-dollar brand.