(Reuters) - Former Subway sandwich chain pitchman Jared Fogle is expected to plead guilty to charges of possessing child pornography, Indianapolis TV station Fox59 reported on Tuesday.

Fogle will accept a plea deal, the station reported, citing unidentified sources. The U.S. Attorney's Office will hold a news conference on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the deal and charges against Fogle, the station said.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Indianapolis declined to comment and Fogle's attorney could not immediately be reached. A spokeswoman for the FBI in Indianapolis also declined to comment.

Later on Tuesday, privately held Subway said on Twitter: "We no longer have a relationship with Jared and have no further comment."

As of Tuesday afternoon, there was no publicly available case naming Fogle as a defendant with the U.S. District Court for Southern Indiana. It is possible that a case could be sealed and not available publicly on electronic court records.

In July, authorities conducted a day-long search inside Fogle's Indiana home, two months after the executive director of Fogle's foundation was arrested on federal child pornography charges. Subway suspended its relationship with Fogle after the raid.

Authorities at the time were seen removing numerous items from Fogle's home, carrying them out in bags, boxes and briefcases. Fogle was present for part of the search, but he left his home in the Zionsville suburb northwest of Indianapolis as the search continued.

The FBI would not previously discuss whether the actions at the home of Fogle, a father of two, were connected to the child pornography case against Russell Taylor, the former foundation executive.

Fogle became a Subway spokesman after losing a reported 245 pounds in part by eating regularly at the sandwich chain. Fogle made his first Subway commercial in 2000 and appeared in a new one last year, according to the chain.





(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit and David Bailey in Minneapolis; Editing by Peter Cooney)