Ginger Rough, and Robert Anglen

The Republic | azcentral.com

Disgraced former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle was left beaten and bloodied in a prison fight by a fellow inmate, according to an official prison incident report made public Wednesday.

The inmate, as it turns out, has ties to Arizona and a criminal history in the state that dates back to the mid-1970s, when a Phoenix police detective described him as one of "the worst criminals" he had encountered.

Steven J. Nigg, 60, wanted to draw attention to what he feels was his own, unnecessarily harsh prison sentence, and to the number of prisoners at the minimum-security prison in Colorado who are serving sentences for sexually based offenses, his family said.

And perhaps seeking to capitalize on his newfound notoriety, his family on Thursday created a public fundraising page to raise money for his legal expenses.

The assault was first reported by entertainment website TMZ.com. According to the report, Nigg attacked Fogle in a prison yard in late January "by striking him multiple times in the face with a closed fist."

Fogle "sustained a bloody nose, scratches to his neck and redness and swelling to his face," according to the prison incident report.

Both Nigg and Fogle are currently serving sentences at the Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood, which is in Littleton, about 9 miles outside of Denver.

Nephew speaks out

Jimmy Nigg of Denver, Nigg's nephew, said Wednesday that his uncle attacked Fogle because he was "frustrated" by his own conviction and the fact that Fogle has been using his celebrity status and money to get special treatment.

"In his words, my uncle's words, people convicted of these types of crimes, crimes against children, sexual predators, rapists, they shouldn't be in a minimum-security prison," Nigg said in a phone interview Wednesday. "He felt like it wasn't fair. He (Fogle) gets to order any food he wants, he can use his money to do things. This guy is coming and prancing in like he can do anything he wants.

"He (Nigg) wanted to send a message."

Jimmy Nigg added of his uncle, "He could have killed him if he wanted to."

Claims about Jared Fogle beating 'exaggerated'

Criminal history in Arizona

According to the Arizona Department of Corrections website, Nigg was admitted to the Arizona prison system in March 1977, when he was in his early 20s.

Records and published reports show that Nigg was sentenced to 15-30 years after pleading guilty to three armed robberies in 1976.

He and another man were accused of robbing the Park Central Motor Hotel, two convenience stores, the Sage Motel and a gas station near Wickenburg.

The men also were accused of robbing a Mesa police officer at gunpoint and handcuffing him to a shopping cart.

The corrections website shows that Nigg was disciplined a handful of times in 1988 for infractions that included striking a fellow inmate, verbally threatening another inmate and deliberately starting a fire.

Nigg was also shot in prison. According to published reports in 1979, Nigg was sitting in his cell at the Arizona State Prison in Florence when he was shot in the shoulder by a homemade zip gun. Prison officials said a second shot missed him but ricocheted off a wall and burned him on the head.

He was released from the Arizona prison system in 1989. For a while, his family said, he lived on the "straight and narrow." His nephew said he would routinely dress up as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus at community events, and provided azcentral with numerous copies of witness letters testifying to his character. Many of those who wrote in on Nigg's behalf knew him through a Tae Kwon Do studio.

Nigg was arrested in Wisconsin on charges of battery and disorderly conduct in 2000 and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of property damage. He was arrested again in 2003 and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a police officer.

In federal prison

Nigg's nephew said his uncle was sent to federal prison in 2010 after he sold possessions from his father's estate, including antique guns.

Court records show Nigg owned a consignment store called Nigg's Nuthin' Fancy. His stepmother accused him of selling items, including guns, that belonged to his late father, in violation of a probate court order.

Nigg's stepmother hired an attorney and a private investigator who went to the store and purchased for $1,600 two rifles that had belonged to his father, according to court records. They turned over the firearms to federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Nigg was indicted on federal gun charges and pleaded guilty to being an armed career criminal in possession of a firearm. Under federal minimum-sentencing guidelines, Nigg was sentenced to 15 years in a federal prison.

The online Federal Bureau of Prisons database shows that Nigg was scheduled to be released in 2024.

Nigg has been in solitary confinement since he attacked Fogle, his nephew said. But Jimmy Nigg doesn't think his uncle regrets his actions in the prison yard.

'What he wanted to do was send a message'

"What he wanted to do is send a message, and he did," Jimmy Nigg said. "If he wanted to kill Jared Fogle, he would have been able to, and he didn't. No one stopped him from assaulting Jared. He sent the message, and he walked away."

Fogle pleaded guilty in August to having had sex with minors and distributing and receiving child pornography, according to a plea agreement released by the U.S. attorney of the Southern District of Indiana.

Fogle was sentenced in November to 15 years and eight months in prison for possession and distribution of child pornography and traveling across state lines for commercial sex with a minor.

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Reporter Richard Ruelas contributed to this article.