Ramaswamy says alarmed after federal drug charges against family bodyguard

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Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he was alarmed by federal drug trafficking charges filed against Justin Salsburey, a man who worked as his family’s bodyguard, according to comments from the campaign shared with The Associated Press.

The Associated Press reported that Salsburey, 43, of Bellefontaine, Ohio, and his wife, Ruthann Rankin, were charged in late December with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute large amounts of narcotics through the U.S. mail. AP said the charges are detailed in criminal complaints that describe deliveries of alleged counterfeit pills to the couple’s home in western Ohio.

According to those criminal complaints as summarized by AP, 261 parcels containing counterfeit OxyContin and other pills were delivered to the couple’s address between August 2024 and last month. AP also reported that Rankin has been removed from her employment as a schoolteacher in nearby Urbana, citing a statement posted by the school district.

AP reported that Salsburey is being held in the Franklin County jail in Columbus, and that Rankin was held and later released. An attorney who previously represented Salsburey did not immediately respond to a message left for the attorney, AP said.

In a text message to AP, Ramaswamy campaign spokesperson Connie Luck said, “Vivek’s family contracts with a private security firm for protective services and was alarmed to hear this disturbing news.” Luck added that ARK Protection Group removed Salsburey from the family’s security detail immediately after learning of the matter, AP reported.

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

AP further reported that Luck said Salsburey passed a pre-employment drug test and never failed a random drug screening. In the same text to AP, Luck said, “Vivek and his family take matters of safety seriously and support efforts to hold these individuals accountable for these allegations if they are proven,” AP reported.