AP Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle leaves the Federal Courthouse in Indianapolis.
The psychiatrist who testified, Dr. John Bradford, used those terms to describe behavior that included distribution and possession of child pornography and paying a 17-year-old for sex.
However, the terms "mild" and "weak" pedophilia don't appear in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (known as the DSM-5), according to Robin Wilson, a clinical psychologist who works with sexual offenders.
"There are distinctions in the DSM-5 between 'exclusive' and 'non-exclusive' pedophiles," Wilson told Business Insider in an email, "but the terms 'mild' or 'weak' are unfamiliar in the literature."
Wilson added: "This is also a man who didn't just download (and presumably masturbate) to child abuse images, this is a guy who also apparently acted on those urges by having physical/sexual contact with minors.
"All in all, the qualifiers 'mild' or 'weak' seem misplaced. That said, it is not uncommon for experts on either side of the legal coin to make arguments in support of their client's perspective."
Clearly the judge agreed. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt told the courtroom that "there's no such thing as being a mild pedophile," reported the Indianapolis Star.
Fogle became famous in 1999 after Men's Health featured him in a story called "Stupid Diets that Work," which chronicled the "Subway diet" that helped him lose weight. He became Subway's pitchman and enjoyed a wholesome image until the FBI raided his home in July.
The FBI's investigation spurred the sandwich chain to suspend its relationship with Fogle. The month after the raid, he was charged with possessing child pornography and traveling across a state line to have sex with a minor.
Business Insider has reached out to Fogle's lawyer for comment and will update if we hear back.