A Utah entrepreneur known for co-founding and inventing the Squatty Potty has been indicted on federal charges of receiving child sexual abuse material, following a years-long FBI probe that traced his alleged involvement through online group chats, video streams, and flagged financial transactions.
Robert Edwards, 50, of Ivins, was arrested on February 12 in Washington County after a federal grand jury returned the indictment two days earlier. He entered a not guilty plea during an initial court appearance and was ordered held by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler, who remanded him to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Court documents allege Edwards knowingly received multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse material from March 2021 through November 2025 in Utah and other locations.
The investigation began when an undercover FBI agent infiltrated a group chat trading such content and joined a Zoom session where videos were being streamed. Participants’ cameras were on, and agents identified Edwards as one attendee by matching his appearance to photos and linking his IP address to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Prosecutors said the probe uncovered PayPal records in May 2025 showing four suspicious transactions tied to Edwards, connected to John Carver, a U.K. man later arrested and convicted for distributing child sexual abuse material and extorting buyers. Carver promoted the content on Telegram, collected payments via PayPal, and delivered files via links or Zoom meetings, as observed in 2021.
A November 4 search warrant at Edwards’ home and on his person yielded a cellphone from his vehicle containing child sexual abuse videos and images, including some downloaded just two weeks earlier. Additional devices seized from the residence held more such files, along with messages about the material.
In one exchange, Edwards allegedly wrote: “Hey brother, Id love to perv but into most all jiust not into babies. 5+ is preferred,” The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Edwards denied recalling any viewing of child pornography when questioned by agents, according to filings. He described himself as a methamphetamine addict in treatment, supporting himself with proceeds from the 2021 sale of Squatty Potty and some Bitcoin holdings.
Separately, Edwards pleaded guilty in November 2023 to drug-related felony charges in Utah’s 5th District Court, agreeing to two years of supervision through a private probation firm.
Edwards launched Squatty Potty in the early 2010s, securing a 2014 investment from Shark Tank‘s Lori Greiner. A 2015 viral ad starring mascot Dookie the unicorn garnered 42 million views, boosting the brand. Aterian Inc. acquired the company in 2021 for $19 million, with sales exceeding 8 million units.
Squatty Potty issued a statement distancing the company from its founder:
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,” read the statement.
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.
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.
Edwards’ detention hearing is set for March 2 at 10 a.m. in the federal courthouse in St. George. U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah announced the case, which is being handled by the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office and St. George Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Burton is prosecuting.
The charges stem from Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department effort since 2006 to fight child exploitation by coordinating federal, state, and local agencies to pursue offenders and aid victims.