Vivek Ramaswamy’s family bodyguard arrested on drug trafficking charges

Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, speaks at a rally Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has expressed alarm that a man who worked as his family’s bodyguard is facing federal drug trafficking charges.

Justin Salsburey, 43, of Bellefontaine, and his wife, Ruthann Rankin, were each charged late last month with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute large amounts of narcotics through the U.S. mail.

Salsburey was employed by a private security firm hired by the Ramaswamys for protective services, according to campaign spokesperson Connie Luck. She said that ARK Protection Group removed him from the family’s security detail immediately upon learning of the matter.

According to the criminal complaints, 261 parcels containing counterfeit OxyContin and other pills were delivered to the couple’s western Ohio home between August 2024 and last month. Rankin has been removed from her employment as a schoolteacher in nearby Urbana, according to a statement posted by the district.

Salsburey is being held in the Franklin County jail in Columbus, according to the facility’s website. It was not clear whether Rankin is being held.

“Vivek’s family contracts with a private security firm for protective services and was alarmed to hear this disturbing news,” Luck said in a text.

She said that Salsburey had cleared multiple background checks run by the security company, the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation prior to his employment. The most recent one was conducted by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center in September, she said.

Salsburey also passed a pre-employment drug test and never failed a random drug screening, Luck said. A message left with an attorney who represented Salsburey in the past was not immediately returned.

“Vivek and his family take matters of safety seriously and support efforts to hold these individuals accountable for these allegations if they are proven,” Luck said.

Julie Carr Smyth, The Associated Press