Squatty Potty founder Robert “Bobby” Edwards charged; squatty potty inventor held after federal indictment
Robert “Bobby” Edwards, 50, the entrepreneur behind the squatty potty toilet stool, has been indicted in federal court on a count of receipt of child pornography and arrested in Washington County, Utah. The case draws on a multi‑year FBI investigation that investigators say tied Edwards to online meetings, flagged payments and files found on devices seized in a November search.
Indictment, arrest and custody in St. George and Washington County
A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Feb. 10 that charges Edwards with receipt of child pornography; he was arrested on Feb. 12 in Washington County and pleaded not guilty at his initial court appearance. A judge in St. George, Judge Paul Kohler, ordered him held without bail; a federal judge also remanded him to the custody of the U. S. Marshal Service and a hearing was scheduled for March 2 at the St. George Courthouse.
Undercover FBI agent joined group chat and Zoom screening in March 2021
Prosecutors say the investigation began in 2021 when an undercover FBI agent joined an online group chat used to trade child sexual abuse material. In March 2021, the agent clicked a Zoom link and entered a virtual meeting room where a main screen was showing videos that investigators describe as depicting the sexual abuse of children. Participants were visible in the Zoom meeting; one user later identified as Edwards was visible on camera during the screening, and investigators say the account label and images matched Edwards’ profile.
IP trace to Puerto Vallarta, PayPal flags in May 2025 and links to a U. K. distributor
Investigators say they traced a Zoom account through an IP address that placed the user in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and compared photos and live video to identify Edwards. In May 2025, PayPal flagged four transactions tied to Edwards’ account as possibly related to child sexual abuse material. Those transactions were later traced to payments to a United Kingdom man, John Carver, who was arrested days later and ultimately convicted in the U. K. for distributing such materials and for blackmailing buyers. Prosecutors say Carver advertised illicit content on the messaging app Telegram, sent PayPal links for payment and then links to purchased files, and sometimes distributed materials in Zoom meetings.
November search finds files on a cell phone and other devices, some recently downloaded
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Edwards’ home in November and investigators say they found electronic devices containing videos and images described as child sexual abuse material. Agents reported finding a cell phone in Edwards’ vehicle that contained multiple videos and images, some of which had been downloaded onto the phone just two weeks before the search warrant was executed. Additional images and messages discussing the materials were also allegedly found on devices recovered in the search.
Edwards’ background: founding Squatty Potty, sales milestones, arts involvement and prior legal issues
Edwards co‑founded Squatty Potty in 2011 with his mom, dad and brother, and developed a footstool with a cut‑out designed to wrap around the toilet base after a doctor told his mother that raising her knees could relieve constipation. The family featured the invention on a daytime medical show in 2012 and then pitched it on Shark Tank in 2014, where Edwards made a deal with investor Lori Greiner. The business saw rapid growth: one figure cited is $12. 3 million in sales within three months of the Shark Tank appearance, and a later advertising spot featuring the brand’s mascot Dookie the unicorn was viewed 42 million times. One company name in the record, Aterian, Inc., purchased Squatty Potty in 2021 for $19 million; other material in the record lists a 2021 sale price of $30 million. The company also reported more than 8 million stools sold as of 2022.
Before Squatty Potty, Edwards helped launch the Kayenta Center for the Arts in 2011 and served as its first director. In court documents, Edwards is identified as a resident of Ivins and a southern Utah entrepreneur. He told agents he had no recollection of viewing child pornography, and he also told authorities he was addicted to methamphetamine, had been receiving treatment, and was living off money from the company’s acquisition plus "some Bitcoin. " In an unrelated matter, he pleaded guilty to drug‑related felony offenses in Utah’s 5th District Court in November 2023 and signed up through a private probation company for two years of supervision.
Prosecutors also point to messages in chats. In one alleged message attributed to Edwards, he wrote: "Hey brother, Id love to perv but into most all jiust not into babies. 5+ is preferred[. ]" People who have been affiliated with Edwards and his projects expressed shock when contacted; one person said they were "absolutely devastated. "
