A former bodyguard for Republican gubernatorial candidate — and former presidential hopeful — Vivek Ramaswamy has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges.
Justin Salsburey, 44, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Ohio to participating in a narcotics conspiracy involving bulk amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine, reported WKBN-TV.
His wife, 39-year-old Ruthann Rankin, also pleaded guilty to related charges last week, and both of them face potential sentences of 10 years to life in prison.
The case originated in November 2025, when the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force discovered Salsburey was receiving bulk narcotics shipments through the U.S. Postal Service at his home in Bellefontaine.
Investigators determined the couple received roughly 260 parcels between August 2024 and December 2025, and surveillance footage showed them retrieving deliveries and storing the drugs in a cooler on their porch.
Salsburey also drove to a Dublin, Ohio, post office to mail fentanyl and methamphetamine pills to buyers, including one shipment of 52 parcels sent to a man in Middleburg Heights.
A search of the couple’s home turned up bulk quantities of fentanyl and meth pills along with a dozen firearms.
Rankin told authorities she helped her husband sell steroids and adderall before he moved into heavier drugs. Both pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine and 40 grams of fentanyl.
Salsburey previously worked as a bodyguard for Ramaswamy’s family through a private security firm.
When the charges first surfaced earlier this year, a Ramaswamy spokesperson said the family was “alarmed” and that the security firm immediately removed Salsburey from the detail once informed, noting he had passed multiple background checks and drug screenings.
“Vivek and his family take matters of safety seriously and support efforts to hold these individuals accountable,” the spokesperson said.
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