Latest news with #prostitutionSting
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Olympic champion Kyle Snyder turns to ‘Lord Jesus and family' after prostitution sting arrest
Former Olympic wrestling champion Kyle Snyder has released a statement saying he would focus on 'Lord Jesus and my family' after his arrest in a prostitution sting operation last week. The Rio 2016 gold medallist was arrested for engaging in prostitution in a sting in Columbus, Ohio, last Friday. Speaking publicly for the first time since his arrest, he posted on X, 'I want to thank everyone who has reached out with kindness and support. My focus is on my relationship with the Lord Jesus and my family. This is not [the] conclusion of my journey.' He ended the post with, '1 Peter 4:17-18', a Bible passage which reads, 'For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?' Columbus police spokesperson Caitlyn McIntosh said Snyder had responded to an online advert posted by the force soliciting people 'to engage in sexual activity for hire', and arranged to meet an undercover officer at a local hotel, where he paid them money and requested sexual services. He was arrested in a hotel room before being released, with a court appearance scheduled for Monday 19 May. 15 other men were also caught in the operation, Columbus police said. Snyder became the youngest American wrestler to win Olympic gold when he was still at college, aged 20, during the 2016 Rio Games. The 29-year-old has also won three world titles and is a silver medallist from the Tokyo Olympics, as well as a three-time NCAA heavyweight champion at Ohio State. He was appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition by Donald Trump on a two-year term in 2018. Shortly before his arrest he was announced as part of the Real American Freestyle wrestling league line-up. Fronted by Hulk Hogan, the league's first event is scheduled for 30 August in Cleveland.
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Olympic champion Kyle Snyder to focus on ‘Lord Jesus and family' after prostitution arrest
Olympic wrestling champion Kyle Snyder has made his first public statement since his arrest in an Ohio prostitution sting last week. In a post on X on Wednesday, the 29-year-old said he would lean on his faith and family, but did not directly address his arrest. 'I want to thank everyone who has reached out with kindness and support. My focus is on my relationship with the Lord Jesus and my family. This is not conclusion of my journey. 1 Peter 4:17-18,' he wrote. The bible passage he referenced reads: 'For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?' Snyder's arrest came after during a police operation aimed at reducing prostitution in Columbus, Ohio. Snyder was arrested in a hotel room for engaging in prostitution. He was released from custody at the scene, and is due to appear in court on 19 May. Columbus police spokesperson Caitlyn McIntosh said officers had posted online ads to 'solicit others to engage in sexual activity for hire'. Police said a man later identified as Snyder had replied to one of the postings and arranged to meet at a local hotel. Once there he paid money to an undercover officer and requested sexual services. Police said 15 other men were caught in the sting. Snyder is considered one of the best wrestlers of his generation, and was a college star at Ohio State, located in Columbus. While still at college he won an Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In college, he won three straight NCAA heavyweight titles between 2016 and 2018, and was later inducted into Ohio State's athletics hall of fame. He also won an Olympic silver at the Tokyo Games in 2021 along with three world championship titles. In 2018, Donald Trump appointed Snyder to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. This month Snyder signed up to Hulk Hogan's Real American Freestyle wrestling league, which is due to start in August. Snyder has spoken of the importance of his faith in the past. '[God has] given me his spirit who lives inside me so I can live this way. Any accolades I acquire in this life are meaningless, but the growth I experience spiritually is what means the most,' Snyder told Sports Spectrum Magazine in 2019.
