U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Kyle Snyder was one of more than a dozen people arrested during a prostitution sting over the weekend in Columbus, Ohio, according to local police.
Snyder, 29, a former Ohio State wrestler, was arrested by uniformed officers inside a hotel room and released from custody at the scene, CBS News reported Tuesday.
An undercover operation aimed at curbing prostitution in the city's north side was conducted May 9, according to Columbus Police Spokesperson Caitlyn McIntosh.
The department's Police and Community Together (PACT) unit published ads online to "solicit others to engage in sexual activity for hire," and Friday, officers received texts and phone calls from a man responding to one of the ads.
A meeting was arranged at a hotel, and the man, who was later identified as Snyder, allegedly paid money to an undercover officer and requested a sexual act, the police said.
Snyder, who won a gold medal at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro and silver at the 2021 Tokyo games, was one of 16 men charged in the sting. He has been summoned to appear in court May 19.
Snyder also won three national titles while at Ohio State and was a three-time world champion. Last week, he signed with the Real American Freestyle wrestling league, led by pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. The league will hold its debut event Aug. 30 in Cleveland.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.