The entrepreneur behind Squatty Potty, a range of bathroom stools designed to help posture, has been arrested after being indicted for allegedly receiving child sex abuse materials.
Robert “Bobby” Edwards, who appeared on Shark Tank, was arrested at an address in Utah on February 12, 2026. He had been indicted by a federal grand jury two days earlier.
Prosecutors allege that Edwards, who sold his company in 2021, faces a charge of receipt of child pornography, knowingly received multiple images depicting child sex abuse between March 2021 and November 2025.
Unsealed court documents, obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune, revealed that Edwards’ home was raided late last year. At the property, agents uncovered child sex abuse materials. The files included messages that Edwards had allegedly sent in private chat rooms.
“Hey brother, Id (sic) love to perv but into most all jiust (sic) not into babies. 5+ is preferred,” one message read.
The court documents seen by The Tribune also state that an undercover FBI agent joined an online chat group used to trade child sex abuse materials in March 2021.
In one meeting, members of the group viewed a collection of videos depicting child sex abuse, the documents say. Many participants' faces were visible during the meeting, and agents allegedly identified one member as Edwards.
According to the unsealed court files, Edwards was linked to the account via his IP address, which indicated he was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Four transactions made by Edwards were later flagged as possibly being related to child sex abuse materials by PayPal. The documents allege that a probe into the transactions revealed that they were allegedly sent from Edwards to a man in the United Kingdom.
That man was eventually arrested by British Police and convicted on counts of distributing indecent images of a child, making indecent images of a child, and blackmailing those who purchased the images, according to U.K. authorities.
According to the documents, Edwards told agents that “he had no recollection of viewing child pornography.”
Edwards has pleaded not guilty to the charges of receiving sexually explicit images of a child. His detention hearing is scheduled for March 2, 2026.
The suspect rocketed to fame as the co-founder of Squatty Potty, a toilet stool designed to correct users’ posture while they go to the bathroom.
When Edwards took his product to Shark Tank, he received a $350,000 investment from shark Lori Greiner, aka the “Queen of QVC.”
His business was later purchased by Aterian in 2021 for $19 million.
At the time of his arrest, Edwards was living on the proceeds from the sale, according to the documents viewed by The Tribune. He was also receiving treatment for an addiction to methamphetamine.
Prior to launching Squatty Potty in 2011, Edwards worked as a web producer for the Fox Broadcasting Company from 2002 until 2004.
According to his LinkedIn page, he later became the owner of Rose Concrete Coatings in 2005, which he ran until he launched Squatty Potty.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Aterian said that the company has “no affiliation, partnership, or ongoing relationship with Mr. Robert Edwards.”
“Following the completion of that acquisition, all associations with Edwards and his family ceased,” the spokesperson continued. “He is not an employee, a partner, or a stakeholder in our company. Any claims to the contrary are categorically false.”
The spokesperson 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.”
The Independent has contacted Squatty Potty for comment.
