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The millionaire founder of “Squatty Potty” has been federally charged with receiving child pornography in Utah, authorities said.
Robert “Bobby” Edwards, 50, was arrested for allegedly buying and receiving countless images of child sexual abuse material between March 2021 and November 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Utah announced on Monday.
The entrepreneur whose product promises to help users “get off the toilet” was indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 10 and arrested on Feb. 12 in Washington County, Utah.
Edwards pleaded not guilty in his initial court appearance and was ordered held without bail by Judge Paul Kohler in St. George, authorities said.
Robert “Bobby” Edwards on “Shark Tank.” Edwards presented his invention “Squatty Potty” on Season 11 of the hit show. (Getty Images)
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in March 2021, an undercover FBI agent joined an online meeting room where people were viewing child sexual abuse material videos on a main screen.
“Participants in the meeting were visible, including one user later identified as Edwards,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Four years later, in May 2025, FBI agents said they found the “Squatty Potty” founder allegedly bought more child sexual abuse material using an onlie payment account.
On Nov. 4, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Edwards’ home where investigators said they found a cell phone in his vehicle that “contained multiple videos and images of child sexual abuse material, some of which downloaded onto the cell phone just two weeks before the search warrant was executed.”
They allegedly also found more images of child sexual abuse material in the home.
Closeup hand pulling toilet paper roll while sitting on toilet (iStock)
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Edwards founded The Squatty Potty in 2011 with his mom, dad and brother, according to the Washington County Historical Society. The idea came after a doctor told his mom that using a footstool to raise her knees on the toilet would help with longtime constipation. Edwards, seeing a business opportunity, fashioned a footstool with a cut-out that could wrap around the toilet base.
In 2012, the Edwards family featured their invention on the show “The Doctors,” and then pitched the product on ABC’s “Shark Tank” two years later. They made a deal with Lori Greiner, one of the show’s investors, and had $12.3 million in sales within three months of their “Shark Tank” appearance.
“Now everyone is like, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’” Edwards said in a 2018 CNBC interview. “I have proven a lot of people wrong, and it’s felt really good.”
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Robert Edwards and family, inventors of The Squatty Potty, attend the 20th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 16, 2016, in New York City. (Gary Gershoff/WireImage)
The company was purchased by Aterian, Inc. in 2021. Aterian released the following statement after Edwards’ indictment:
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“Aterian has no affiliation, partnership, or ongoing relationship with Mr. Robert Edwards. Edwards was part of a group, including private equity firms, that sold specific assets to Aterian in a one-time transaction in 2021. Following the completion of that acquisition, all associations with Edwards and his family ceased. He is not an employee, a partner, or a stakeholder in our company. Any claims to the contrary are categorically false.”
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It continued: “We are deeply disturbed by the indictment against Edwards. The nature of these allegations is abhorrent and wholly inconsistent with our company’s values. While the family was previously referenced on our website in a historical context, we have removed those references. They have no role in our brand’s present or future. Aterian remains committed to the mission of Squatty Potty: improving digestive health for our consumers.”
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