INDIANAPOLIS — The former director of a foundation started by ex-Subway pitchman Jared Fogle begged a judge not to send him to “rot in the landfill of lost souls” before she sentenced him Thursday to 27 years in a federal prison for producing child pornography.

Russell Taylor, whose production of child pornography of 12 children played a key role in Fogle’s criminal case, choked back tears as he asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt for a sentence short enough for him to someday reunite with his family.

“Please do not allow me to rot in the landfill of lost souls,” Taylor told Pratt, his voice cracking after he apologized to his victims and said he was deeply remorseful.

Prosecutors sought a 35-year sentence, while attorneys for the 44-year-old Indianapolis man requested a sentence ranging from 15 years to nearly 23 years.

Pratt told Taylor and his attorneys that she had taken into account Taylor’s decision to plead guilty – a move that spared his victims an extended legal case – and the “substantial assistance” he gave authorities in Fogle’s criminal case.

The judge said Taylor won’t be eligible for release from prison until he’s 65. He is married and has two children and three stepchildren, according to his attorneys.