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Ryan James Wedding -

In 2002, Ryan James Wedding was a young talent representing Canada in the parallel giant slalom snowboarding event at the Winter Olympics. Cut to 2025, and he has been charged with eight major felonies including drug trafficking, running a criminal enterprise, three murders, and an attempted murder. Wedding reportedly became a drug lord after his sporting career ended and is running a multi-millionaire dollar operation based on the trafficking and distribution of cocaine in North America. It's believed that he ordered multiple murders in relation to his drug operation. He is currently on the run and is wanted by the FBI, which is offering a US$50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs agency is offering US$10 million reward for anyone who can provide information.

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Henry Ruggs III -

Former Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Henry Ruggs III—the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft—was involved in a serious car accident in Las Vegas in the early hours of November 2, 2021, which left a 23-year-old woman and her dog dead. According to TMZ, the then 22-year-old athlete was traveling at "a high rate of speed" with twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system when he hit her car. Ruggs, who had non-life-threatening injuries, was released from the Raiders and hit with two felony charges. In 2023, Ruggs pleaded guilty to a felony count of DUI resulting in death and misdemeanor manslaughter, and was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.

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Shawn Kemp -

On March 8, 2023, six-time NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp had been arrested on a felony charge in relation to a shooting. An altercation between two vehicles near the Tacoma Mall in Washington led to gunfire in the middle of the afternoon. It's alleged that Kemp's phone was stolen earlier that day and he tracked it to the mall parking lot. He says that the perpetrator opened fire at him and he used his own gun to shoot back in self-defense, however, the prosecutors believe that Kemp was the only one to use a firearm. He was charged with first-degree assault and pleaded not guilty. The case is still pending. 

A day later, Kemp was been released with no charge and his attorneys say he was acting in self-defense. They claim that Kemp's iPhone had been stolen and he tracked its location to a car in the mall parking lot. When he approached the vehicle to confront the occupants, they allegedly fired shots at him, and he returned fire to defend himself. There was no drive-by shooting as was previously reported. Kemp's legal representative says he remained at the scene to assist police officers and wasn't charged with any crimes. "We’re grateful they didn’t rush to judgment,” said his lawyer, Tim Leary. 

Kemp was first drafted by the NBA in 1989 and played for 14 seasons, earning the nickname "Reign Man." He retired in 2003 and the 53-year-old now owns two cannabis stores in Seattle. 

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Jalen Carter -

Jalen Carter was pipped as a top prospect for the 2023 NFL draft, but the young athlete's future may be in jeopardy. Carter played with the Georgia Bulldogs, a collegiate team, during the 2022 season. In January, his teammate Devin Willock tragically passed away after a fatal car accident at the age of 21. A 24-year-old staffer for the Bulldogs named Chandler LeCroy also died in the crash. Carter, 21 at the time, was present at the scene in his own car and was questioned by police, who initially reported that it was a single-vehicle accident. However, investigators later determined that Carter and Willock had been illegally racing and Carter was charged with reckless driving and racing. He entered a no-contest plea deal and escaped without jail time. 

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Azea Augustama -

Haitian boxer Azea Augustama appeared in the 2008 Olympics and also won the National Golden Gloves, a prestigious award for amateur boxers, that same year. Sadly, he lost his first-round fight against Brazilian boxer Washington Silva. He hasn't made many headlines since, but his meltdown in Florida has him front and center for all the wrong reasons. Augustama had his membership revoked at the BOXR gym in Miami after allegedly getting into a heated argument with someone. He later returned to the gym to pick up the rest of his belongings, escorted by police, and found that they were gone. He let loose a tirade about the gym on social media afterward, posting threats to "kill or do bodily harm with a firearm," along with a deposit receipt for an AK-47 assault rifle. 

Augustama deleted the photo of the receipt, but police were alerted about his threats and tracked him down. He was taken into custody and charged with three felonies; two counts of written threats to commit a mass shooting and one count of threatening to kill or do bodily harm. He was held on US$3 million bail. 

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Brittney Griner -

On March 5, 2022, the Russian Federal Customs Service announced that WNBA star Brittney Griner—who plays on Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA off-season—was arrested in Russia in February. They allegedly found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. She was arrested on drug charges and held in prison for several months awaiting trial. When it finally came around, it was highly publicized and prosecutors argued that Griner had purposefully smuggled the substance into Russia with the intention to sell it. Griner and her defense team stated that she accidentally packed the cartridges, which are legal in the US, because she was in a hurry. In an emotional speech delivered after closing statements, Griner apologized for the mistake and pleaded for leniency. “I never meant to hurt anybody. I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. I never meant to break any laws here.” She addressed the judge, saying, "I made an honest mistake, and I hope that in your ruling, it doesn’t end my life here." She sentenced to nine years in prison, almost the maximum sentence for her seemingly minor crime. She was sent to a remote penal colony until the US government finally managed to arrange her release by organizing a prisoner swap with Russian authorities in December 2022. 

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Iman Shumpert -

On July 30, NBA star Iman Shumpert was caught with cannabis in his bag at a Dallas/Fort Worth Airport while trying to fly to Los Angeles. TSA reported finding a "sizeable amount of a green leafy substance inside a backpack," which Shumpert admitted was marijuana. Tests confirmed that he was carrying more than 6 oz (170 gm) of the drug, which is legalized in California, but not in Texas. According to Texas law, the amount found in Shumpert's bag is classified as a felony, and the basketball player was placed under arrest at the airport. Shumpert is best known for his decade-long career in the NBA, during which he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks, however, he has been relatively inactive since 2021. He gained fame in other spheres by winning season 30 of 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2021. 

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Boris Becker -

German tennis legend Boris Becker was found guilty of several bankruptcy offenses and sentenced to significant prison time in April 2022. The three-time Wimbledon champion filed for bankruptcy in 2017 but was found to have transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars from other bank accounts after that time. He also failed to declare many high-value assets, including a property in Germany, shares in a tech business, and a bank loan of US$871,000. He was convicted of four different charges with the potential for a maximum prison sentence of seven years. Becker denied his guilt throughout the proceedings while prosecutors accused him of acting "deliberately and dishonestly." Judge Deborah Taylor ultimately sentenced him to two and a half years in prison. He was released after serving eight months. 

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Boris Becker -

This wasn't his first time getting in trouble with the law. In 2002, German tennis ace Boris Becker narrowly avoided jail after being found guilty in a Munich court of tax evasion. He was sentenced to two years of probation and handed down a considerable fine.

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Cain Velasquez -

Following a shooting in Morgan Hill, in the San Francisco Bay Area, on February 28, UFC and WWE star Cain Velasquez was arrested on a charge of attempted murder. He allegedly chased after a vehicle carrying a man who was out on bond after being charged with sexually assaulting Velasquez's son at a daycare facility, and rammed the car before firing at the man and hitting his stepfather. Velasquez was also charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of assault with a firearm, one count of discharging a firearm from a vehicle, one count of shooting at a vehicle, and one count of carrying a loaded firearm with the intent to commit a felony. Following eight months in jail, he was granted a US$1 million bond and placed on house arrest, reports Sportskeeda. 

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O.J. Simpson -

The infamous O.J. Simpson has had many run-ins with the law, but he is finally free of the legal system. The former football star was at the center of one of the biggest murder trials in history when he was accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her companion, Ron Goldman. He was found not guilty in 1995 and escaped a life sentence, but was later convicted of armed robbery on a separate charge in 2007 and served nine years of his 33-year prison sentence. He was released on parole in 2017 and was released from parole in 2021 to live his life as a free man. 

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O.J. Simpson -

In 1994, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Acquitted of the murders in criminal court, but eventually found responsible for both deaths in a civil trial, the former NFLer and actor was later charged with armed robbery and kidnapping in 2007. He served nine years in jail before being released on October 1, 2017.

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Aminata Diallo -

Paris Saint-Germain player Aminata Diallo was taken into custody following an attack on a teammate. On November 4, her teammate and fellow midfielder Kheira Hamraoui was sitting in Diallo's car after dinner. Hamraoui was suddenly dragged from the car by two masked men who beat her legs with metal bars. The French police have confirmed that Diallo's arrest is related to the incident but have not directly linked her to the assault. The attack is reminiscent of the 1994 scandal involving ice skating rivals Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. 

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Klete Keller -

Klete Keller, a two-time winner of the gold Olympic medal for Team USA, has pleaded guilty for his role in the Capitol Riots on January 6. The swimmer was indicted on seven charges back in February of 2021, including knowingly and unlawfully entering and remaining in a restricted area, interfering with official government business, engaging in disorderly conduct to disrupt a session of Congress, and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. On Wednesday, September 29, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one felony count in exchange for having the other six charges dropped. He escaped prison time and was sentenced to six months of home detention and three years of probation. 

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Ronaldinho -

On August 25, 2020, Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho was released from house arrest in Paraguay—ending a five-month ordeal that began when he tried to enter the country with a forged passport. The former player and his brother Roberto Assis were initially held in jail before posting bail. Appearing in court in Asunción (pictured), a judge ordered the pair to pay a US$200,000 fine between them, reports the BBC.

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Ronaldinho -

But it's not the first time Ronaldinho has become embroiled in controversy: in July 2019, the player had his Brazilian and Spanish passports confiscated, reportedly over unpaid taxes and the non-payment of fines for illegally building on a nature reserve in Brazil.

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Harry Maguire -

Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire allegedly brawled with Greek police after his sister was hurt during a confrontation with drinkers. The Premier League player spent two nights in a police cell after the incident, which took place on August 20, 2020 on the Greek island of Mykonos. He is pictured emerging from the court after pleading not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and attempted bribery of an official.

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Harry Maguire -

Despite the allegations, England head coach Gareth Southgate had initially included Maguire in the September 2020 squad for the Nations League games. However, Maguire was given a suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of assaulting a police officer, swearing, resisting arrest, and attempted bribery by a court on the island of Syros on August 25, 2020.

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Duncan Ferguson -

Scottish former professional soccer player Duncan Ferguson was convicted of assault for the 1994 on-the-field headbutting of Raith Rovers defender John McStay while playing for the Glasgow Rangers. He received a three-month jail term. He's pictured in 2004 with Everton, and is now that club's first team assistant manager.

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Mike Tyson -

World heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison in 1992 for the sexual assault of 18-year-old Desiree Washington in an Indianapolis hotel room. He served less than three years of the sentence.

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Tonya Harding -

In 1994, former figure skater Tonya Harding became embroiled in controversy when her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, orchestrated an assault on her fellow US skating rival Nancy Kerrigan. Harding later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution and was eventually sentenced to three years' probation, 500 hours of community service, and given a US$100,000 fine.

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Eric Cantona -

Eric Cantona's infamous kung-fu kick aimed at an abusive fan after the Manchester United forward was sent off during a match against Crystal Palace made headlines worldwide. The Frenchman received a lengthy ban and was sentenced to two weeks' in prison, although this was overturned on appeal. Instead, he carried out 120 hours of community service.

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Lester Piggott -

English professional jockey Lester Piggott's glittering career was tarnished after he was convicted of tax fraud and jailed in 1987. He served 366 days in prison, and was stripped of his OBE (Order of the British Empire).

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Ray Rice -

The career of American football running back Ray Rice effectively ended after a grand jury indicted him on third-degree aggravated assault relating to an incident involving his fiancée (now wife), Janay Palmer. The criminal charges were later dropped but the adverse publicity surrounding the case was enough to see Rice kicked out of the NFL.

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Oscar Pistorius -

In a case that made headline news around the world, South African professional sprinter Oscar Pistorius was found guilty in 2015 for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. He was eventually sentenced to 13 years and five months.

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Black Sox Scandal -

The Black Sox Scandal centered around eight members of the Chicago White Sox who were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate. Despite acquittals in a 1921 trial, all eight were permanently banned from professional baseball, including the alleged ringleader, Charles "Chick" Gandil (pictured).

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Chris Lewis -

English cricketer Chris Lewis was set for a bright international future. A decline in form, however, saw him leave professional cricket in his early thirties. In 2009, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for smuggling narcotics. He was released in June 2015 after serving six years of his sentence.

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Riddick Bowe -

World heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe was convicted of the February 1998 kidnapping of his estranged wife, Judy, and their five children. He served 17 months behind bars.

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Sonny Liston -

Legendary boxer Sonny Liston was once the most feared fighter in the ring. But before fame found him, Liston served two years in the Missouri State Penitentiary for robbery before being released in 1952. He was still a world-ranked boxer when he died under mysterious circumstances in 1970.

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Dennis Rodman -

There were plenty of incidents involving Dennis Rodman both on and off the basketball court during his career. And even after retirement, the athlete has had numerous run-ins with the law, including arrest for public drunkenness and domestic violence.

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Ugueth Urbina -

Venezuelan-born baseball star Ugueth Urbina's career was cut short in 2005 after he was arrested by Venezuelan authorities for attempted murder, for which he served just over seven years in prison.

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Don King -

Boxing promoter Don King has been charged with killing two people in incidents 13 years apart. In 1954, he shot a man in the back after spotting him trying to rob one of his gambling houses; this incident was ruled a justifiable homicide. In 1967, King was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for stomping one of his employees to death, an assault that earned him three years and 11 months behind bars.

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Joachim Löw -

Head coach of the German national men's soccer team, Joachim Löw has lost his driver's license on two occasions: once in 2006 (for one month) and once in 2014 (for six months) because of his reckless behavior behind the wheel (excessive speed and phoning).

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Lee Hughes -

In August 2004, English professional soccer player Lee Hughes was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, and was sentenced to six years imprisonment. He served three years and later resumed his career, a move that surprised many.

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Vinnie Jones -

Known today for his appearance on the big screen in films that include 'Snatch' (2000) and 'Gone in 60 Seconds' (2000), former professional soccer player Vinnie Jones was convicted in June 1998 of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage against a neighbor. In addition, Jones was convicted in December 2003 of assault and threatening behavior on an aircraft for an air rage incident. He was fined a modest sum, and ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.

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Ben Cousins -

One of the most celebrated names in Australian rules football, Ben Cousins lost his direction after retiring from the game and ended up in prison in 2017 after being convicted of offenses related to narcotics, violence, and stalking. He was released in January 2018.

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Craig Titus -

American former professional bodybuilder Craig Titus is currently serving a prison sentence for second-degree murder, kidnapping, and arson. He is eligible for parole release in 2026. Wis wife, Kelly Ryan, was implicated in the homicide and was also jailed.

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Geoffrey Boycott -

In 1996, respected English former cricketer Geoffrey Boycott was accused of assault by his lover, Margaret Moore. Appearing in a court in France, Boycott was convicted of domestic violence, handed down a three-month suspended sentence, and fined a modest sum.

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Mike Danton -

Canadian former professional ice hockey player Mike Danton was arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder, in this case his agent, in 2004. He served five years of a seven-and-a-half sentence.

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Jos Verstappen -

Dutch Formula One driver Jos Verstappen was given a five-year suspended sentence after being found guilty in court of assault. It followed an incident at a karting track in which a man suffered a fractured skull.

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Philippe Jeantot -

Yachtsman Philippe Jeantot, who in 1989 founded the prestigious Vendée Globe, a single-handed, round-the-world, non-stop yacht race, was given a suspended two-year sentence and fined a hefty sum for tax evasion after a 2003 trial. 

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Lionel Messi -

In July 2016, a Spanish court sentenced Lionel Messi to 21 months in prison for tax fraud. The Argentina and Barcelona soccer star was also fined around €2.1 million (US$2.5 million). Messi ultimately avoided jail.

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