The creator and co-founder of Squatty Potty was arrested and charged after federal agents linked him to online accounts that viewed and bought child sex abuse material, prosecutors announced on Monday.

Robert “Bobby” Edwards, 50, was arrested earlier this month in his home state of Utah and has pleaded not guilty to receipt of child pornography, the Justice Department said in a press release.

According to the feds, the investigation into Edwards began in 2021 when an undercover agent joined an online group chat that was being used to trade explicit photos and videos of children.

In one instance, a meeting link brought the agent into a viewing room where a “collection” of videos “were being streamed on the main screen,” the feds said. Edwards was allegedly among the users who were visible in the meeting.

The investigation continued for another four years when in May 2025, PayPal flagged four of Edwards’ transactions as possibly being related to the purchase child sex abuse materials.

Agents later determined the transactions were between Edwards and a man in the United Kingdom, who was arrested and later convicted for distributing the materials through Telegram and other apps.

During a November 2025 search of Edwards’ residence and vehicle, investigators seized several electronic devices, which contained multiple files of child pornography, including some that were downloaded as recently as two weeks before they executed the search, the feds said.

On Feb. 10, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Edwards, who was arrested two days later. After pleading not guilty, he was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals pending a detention hearing scheduled for March 2.

Edwards created and co-founded Squatty Potty with mom, Judy, in 2011 and began manufacturing the toilet stools two years later. The pair appeared on “Shark Tank” in 2014 and struck a deal with Lori Greiner.

Aterian, a home goods and appliances company, purchased Squatty Potty in 2021 for $19 million.