New photos released of Ryan Wedding, former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin wanted by FBI
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico released this photo of Ryan Wedding on Dec. 8, 2025. (U.S. Embassy in Mexico)
(NEW YORK) — Authorities have released new photos of Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympian snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin who is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Wedding, 44, is wanted for “allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada, and other locations in the United States,” the Los Angeles FBI office said Monday on X while releasing a newly obtained photo of the fugitive.
“Additionally, it is alleged that Wedding was involved in orchestrating multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes,” the statement continued.
The FBI said the photo is believed to have been taken in Mexico during the summer of 2025.
In it, he is seen lying in a bed shirtless, with a prominent tattoo of a lion on his chest.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico also shared a photo on Monday of Wedding that hadn’t been previously released. In the photo, released on social media, he is wearing a green shirt and has a different haircut and facial hair. The post did not say when or where that photo was taken.
Wedding has been on the run for several years. He is believed to be in Mexico, being protected by the Sinaloa cartel, authorities said.
The Department of State is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Wedding, whose aliases include James Conrad King, Jesse King, “Giant”, “Public Enemy,” “Boss,” “Buddy,” “Grande,” “El Jefe,” “El Guerro” and “El Toro,” according to the FBI.
FBI Director Kash Patel has called Wedding a “modern-day” Pablo Escobar.
The fugitive was previously indicted in Los Angeles federal court on multiple charges, including running a continuing criminal enterprise, committing murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and assorted drug crimes.
He and his alleged second-in-command are accused of ordering the murders of multiple people in Canada to achieve the aims of the criminal organization, the FBI said.
New charges announced last month allege he ordered the killing of a witness in the federal case. The victim was shot in the head multiple times at a restaurant in Colombia in January, according to U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Los Angeles Bill Essayli.
Wedding and 18 others, including his lawyer, were charged in the new indictment with orchestrating the murder, according to the DOJ.
Wedding competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where he placed 24th in the parallel giant slalom, before allegedly running the billion-dollar cocaine operation from Mexico for more than a dozen years, officials said.
In this handout, the mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein, 2019. (Kypros/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released another batch of photographs obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, including some never-before-seen images of Epstein with famous men whose connections to the deceased sex offender have previously been reported.
The disclosure by the committee Democrats includes images of Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, former Prince Andrew and billionaire Richard Branson, among others.
The context, time frame and location of the photographs are unclear.
“These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif, the ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee. “We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.”
The 19 photos made public are from a cache of more than 95,000 photos turned over to the committee by the Epstein estate in response to a subpoena, the committee Democrats said in a press release.
Other images under review by the committee include thousands of photos of women and Epstein properties, according to the release.
The images come from the hard drive of one of Epstein’s personal computers and one of his email accounts, according to the committee Democrats.
The disclosure includes a rare image of Bill Clinton with both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. In the photo a smiling Clinton stands in the middle of a group of five people, with Maxwell and Epstein on the right and another unidentified woman and man on the left. The photo includes what appears to be Clinton’s signature.
Vanity Fair magazine previously published an image of Epstein with Clinton that was said to be taken aboard Epstein’s jet in 2002. That photo was credited by the magazine to one of Epstein’s assistants. Epstein and Maxwell were previously seen greeting then-President Clinton in a 1993 photo at a White House event for donors to the nonprofit White House Historical Association. That picture was found in the archives at the Clinton Presidential Library.
Three of the photos show Donald Trump, though Epstein himself appears in only one. That picture appears to be from a 1997 Victoria’s Secret event in New York, and shows Epstein next to Trump as he talks with one of the models at the event. Other photos from that party have been public for years.
Another photo shows Trump seated on an airplane next to a woman -apparently and adult — whose face is covered with a black box. In the third photo, a black and white image shows Trump in the center of a photo with six women, who all appear to be adults and whose faces are also redacted. That image appears to be from a public event, though the location and timeframe are not known.
A spokesperson for the Republican majority on the House Oversight Committee criticized the Democrats’ for “cherry-picking” photos to malign President Trump.
“Once again, Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Oversight Committee Democrats are cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump,” the spokesperson said. “We received over 95,000 photos and Democrats released just a handful. Democrats’ hoax against President Trump has been completely debunked. Nothing in the documents we’ve received shows any wrongdoing. It is shameful Rep. Garcia and Democrats continue to put politics above justice for the survivors.”
Among the famous men pictured with Epstein in the newly disclosed photos are titans of Hollywood, business, academia and politics.
Appearance of these men in the photos is not evidence of wrongdoing.
In one image, a casually-dressed Epstein is seen chatting with director Woody Allen on what looks like a film set. Allen sits in a director’s chair peering intently at Epstein who appears to be looking at a video monitor.
Allen appears in three other photos: aboard an airplane with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and his wife, seated at a table with Epstein and a woman whose face is covered with a black box, and chatting with political strategist Steve Bannon, who worked for President Trump during his first administration.
There’s a selfie photo of Bannon with Epstein, apparently taken by Epstein on a mobile phone as the pair stand in front of a mirror, and another of Bannon sitting across from Epstein at a desk.
Billionaire Richard Branson appears in one image, seated outdoors with another man with Epstein standing behind. The smiling men appear to be sharing a chuckle as Branson holds up a page from a notebook. A large black box covers whatever it is that is on the notebook page.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is shown in two photos, though Epstein is not present in either. One photo shows Gates with the former Prince Andrew, both in suit and tie, gazing at each other in a dark paneled room with other people in the background. Another shows Gates standing next to Larry Visoski, Epstein’s longtime private pilot, beside what appears to be Epstein’s black Gulfstream jet. Gates, in a gray pullover sweater, has books under his arm and a leather briefcase in his hand.
The disclosure by the House Democrats also includes three photos depicting apparent sexual paraphernalia; no people are in those images and the context of the images is unclear.
Another image shows what appears to be a joke or a novelty gift item, a likeness of Trump on what appears to be a condom wrapper that says, “I’m HUUUUGE!”
“Trump Condom, $4.50, FINALLY,” reads a handwritten sign.
Minnesota State Troopers hold back a crowd after Federal law enforcement officers confronted residents following a shooting incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, early on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(MINNEAPOLIS) — The Department of Homeland Security said a federal law enforcement officer shot a person in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, saying the latter fled a traffic stop and then — along with two other people — began attacking the officer.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired defensive shots to defend his life,” DHS said in a statement on social media. “The initial subject was hit in the leg.”
Both the officer and the person who was shot were taken to the hospital, DHS said.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the person shot was an “adult male,” and that his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
DHS said federal law enforcement officers were conducting a “targeted traffic stop” Wednesday evening at 6:50 p.m. local time. The DHS statement identified the person being stopped as “an illegal alien from Venezuela.”
DHS said the person drove away in his car, crashed into a parked vehicle and then fled on foot.
When a pursuing officer caught up to the person, “the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer,” DHS said in the statement.
“While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle,” the statement said.
The statement added, “As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, the original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick.”
After the officer fired, the three people ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside, DHS claimed in the statement.
It’s unclear from the statement when and how an arrest was made, but DHS said both of the two people, who were not shot, it alleges attacked the officer were taken into custody.
A crowd later gathered at the scene of the second shooting. O’Hara said the crowd amounted to an “unlawful assembly” and accused some people of throwing fireworks and rocks at officers.
“People need to leave. This is already a very tense situation and we do not need this to escalate any further,” O’Hara told reporters at a news conference Wednesday night.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the situation was “not sustainable” and urged residents to protest peacefully.
“There’s still a lot that we don’t know at this time,” Frey said. “But what I can tell you for certain is that this is not sustainable. This is an impossible situation that our city is being put in.”
ICE and Border Patrol officers are “creating chaos,” in the city, Frey said, adding, “I’ve seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and is intolerable. If it were your city, it would be unacceptable there too.”
ICE officials have disputed those claims, saying federal officers are seeking only those who’ve broken the law. “If Frey truly cared about safety in his community, he would work with ICE to get the worst of the WORST out of Minnesota,” the agency said on Wednesday.
Customs and Border Patrol said on Monday that additional officers were “are on their way to restore order and we welcome cooperation from state and local law enforcement” in Minneapolis. The agency, which sits under the DHS, described Frey’s leadership as “weak,” accusing his administration of encouraging “lawlessness.”
“We are not going to let our officers be attacked in an aggressive manner and sit idly by,” Gregory K. Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official, said on Wednesday. “In addition to the most important mission of enforcing Title 8 Immigration laws, we will also arrest those who attack and assault our agents. You will go to jail.”
Frey said protesters should avoid confrontations with federal officers. “And for anyone that is taking the bait tonight — stop,” he said. “That is not helpful. Go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos.”
Frey said there were 600 Minneapolis Police Department officers working to “keep our streets safe” as the protests continued. About 3,000 federal officers had been dispatched to Minnesota, he said.
In a rare primetime address, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Wednesday called on President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to “end this occupation” in Minnesota,
“Donald Trump wants this chaos. He wants confusion, and yes, he wants more violence on our streets. We cannot give him what he wants,” Walz said. “We can, we must protest loudly, urgently, but also peacefully. Indeed, as hard as we will fight in the courts and at the ballot box, we cannot and will not let violence prevail.”
Noem had said on Tuesday that the ICE officers were on the scene for an operation that was “rapidly removing the criminal illegal aliens who have found sanctuary in Tim Walz’s Minnesota.”
“The men and women of DHS law enforcement are working day and night to arrest and deport sickos, dirtbags, and fraudsters from across the state,” she added.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, meanwhile, accused both Frey and Walz of inciting unrest.
“Minnesota insurrection is a direct result of a FAILED governor and a TERRIBLE mayor encouraging violence against law enforcement,” Blanche said on Wednesday on social media. “It’s disgusting.”
He added, “Walz and Frey — I’m focused on stopping YOU from your terrorism by whatever means necessary. This is not a threat. It’s a promise.”
Andrew Dykes is seen in this booking photo. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
(TAMPA, Fla) — Years after the bodies of a woman and her 2-year-old daughter were found on Long Island — once associated with the Gilgo Beach serial murders — the woman’s suspected killer appeared before a Florida judge on Thursday facing murder charges.
Andrew Dykes, 66, was arrested near Tampa and charged with two counts of murder Wednesday on a warrant out of Nassau County, New York, in connection with the 1997 death of Tanya Jackson and her daughter Tatiana Dykes, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Andrew Dykes was believed to be the father of Tatiana Dykes and his last name is in part how investigators tracked him down, the sources said.
Dykes did not enter a plea but is due back in a Florida court next week as Nassau County seeks his extradition to New York.
The Nassau County district attorney’s office declined to comment.
Jackson was 26 when she was found dismembered in Lakeview in June 1997. The body of her 2-year-old year old daughter, Tatiana, was found 14 years later near Gilgo Beach.
For years, Jackson, a U.S. Army veteran, was known only as “Peaches” because of a distinctive tattoo, and her daughter as “Baby Doe.”
In April, authorities in New York announced they had finally identified Jackson and her daughter and offered a $25,000 reward for information in the cold case.
The girl’s remains were found in 2011 close to where the remains of other women were found along the southern shore of Long Island leading to speculation the deaths were the work of the Gilgo Beach serial killer.
Long Island architect and father Rex Heuermann was arrested in 2023 in connection with several of the Gilgo Beach slayings and later charged with killing seven women.
Heuermann, who has pleaded not guilty, was never charged with the killings of Jackson or her daughter.
