Squatty Potty creator indicted; squatty potty founder charged in federal child porn case
Robert “Bobby” Edwards, 50, the entrepreneur behind the squatty potty, has been federally charged with receipt of child sexual abuse material after a multi-year investigation that investigators say stretches from March 2021 through November 2025. The indictment and arrest in Washington County mark the latest legal developments for the inventor and businessman.
Federal indictment, arrest and court appearance in St. George
A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Feb. 10 charging Edwards with receipt of child pornography, and he was arrested on Feb. 12 in Washington County. At his initial court appearance Edwards pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail by Judge Paul Kohler in St. George, the U. S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Utah announced on Monday.
Undercover FBI agent in March 2021 Zoom meeting
Prosecutors say the FBI began investigating Edwards in 2021 after an undercover agent joined an online meeting room in March 2021 where attendees were watching child sexual abuse material on a main screen. Investigators allege that participants in the meeting were visible, including one user later identified as Edwards, and that agents linked the account to an IP address showing he was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during the session.
Payments flagged in May and link to a United Kingdom distributor
In May, PayPal flagged four transactions tied to Edwards as possibly related to child sexual abuse materials. Authorities say those transactions were between Edwards and John Carver, a United Kingdom man who was arrested days later and ultimately convicted of distributing the materials and blackmailing buyers. Prosecutors describe Carver as advertising illicit content on the messaging app Telegram, sending a PayPal link for payment and then providing a link to the purchased files, and sometimes distributing material in Zoom meetings similar to the one the agent witnessed in 2021.
Search warrant on Nov. 4, 2025 uncovered files on phone and in home
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Edwards’s home on Nov. 4, 2025. Investigators say they found a cell phone in his vehicle that contained multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material, some of which were downloaded onto the phone just two weeks before the search warrant was executed. Prosecutors also allege they found additional images in the home and messages discussing the materials.
Messages, personal statements and prior legal issues
Court documents quote a chat message attributed to Edwards that reads, "Hey brother, Id love to perv but into most all jiust not into babies. 5+ is preferred[. ]" Edwards told agents he had no recollection of viewing child pornography and said he was addicted to methamphetamine, had been receiving treatment and was living off money he made when Squatty Potty was acquired, plus "some Bitcoin, " prosecutors wrote.
Separately, Edwards pleaded guilty to drug-related offenses in Utah’s 5th District Court in November 2023 and, records indicate, enrolled through a private probation company for two years of supervision.
Business origins, growth, sale and company reaction
Edwards founded The Squatty Potty in 2011 with his mom, dad and brother, the Washington County Historical Society says. The family developed the footstool after a doctor told his mother that raising her knees on the toilet would help longstanding constipation; Edwards fashioned a footstool with a cut-out that could wrap around the toilet base. The product was featured on the show "The Doctors" in 2012 and Edwards later pitched the invention on Season 11 of Shark Tank, where he made a deal with investor Lori Greiner.
Within three months of the Shark Tank appearance the family recorded $12. 3 million in sales. The brand grew further after a 2015 ad featuring the company mascot Dookie the unicorn, which has been viewed 42 million times. Aterian, Inc. purchased Squatty Potty in 2021 for $19 million, and the company reported more than 8 million stools sold as of 2022.
Late Tuesday Squatty Potty released a statement saying all associations with Edwards "ceased" after the acquisition, and that references to his family’s role in the company were removed Tuesday from its "Our Story" page. it was "deeply disturbed by the indictment, " and added, "The nature of these" that is truncated in court records made public.
