LA Gangster Charged in Billion-dollar Drug Ring Tied to Olympian

WHO:

Fox News - Roberto Gomez, 51, also known as “Rob Flores,” “Fat Boy,” “Fats” and “Rooster,” is identified as a 38th Street gang member and a U.S. citizen.

Fox News - Ryan Wedding is a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who competed in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Fox News - U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro appeared with DEA and Homeland Security Investigations officials to announce an indictment charging 15 individuals.

NY Post - The article identifies Wedding as Ryan James Wedding and describes Gomez as a fugitive gang member.

Daily Mail Sports - The indictment charges a gangster in connection with an operation attributed to Olympian drug kingpin Ryan Wedding.

WHAT:

Fox News - Gomez was charged in a six-count federal indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to import controlled substances, three counts of accessory after the fact, and attempting to transact and deal with a specially designated narcotics trafficker.

Fox News - Prosecutors allege Gomez helped Wedding operate a billion-dollar drug-trafficking operation and obtain sensitive law-enforcement information to avoid detection by U.S. authorities.

Fox News - Wedding is accused of trafficking an estimated $1 billion worth of cocaine and ordering several murders.

Fox News - Wedding finished 24th in the men’s parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Olympics.

NY Post - The indictment alleges Gomez worked with Mexican cartels and leaked law-enforcement intelligence to help Wedding run his trafficking ring.

Daily Mail Sports - The indictment includes charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, accessory after the fact, and conspiracy to import narcotics.

WHERE:

Fox News - Gomez fled Los Angeles County to Mexico after being charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Fox News - The 2018 federal indictment against Gomez was issued by a grand jury in Los Angeles.

Fox News - The Sinaloa Cartel and Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) are identified as foreign terrorist organizations with whose leaders Gomez communicated while in Mexico.

WHEN:

Fox News - Gomez was charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2000 with two counts of second-degree robbery.

Fox News - A federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted Gomez on drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges in 2018.

Fox News - Wedding was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in March 2025 and surrendered to authorities in January 2026.

Fox News - Wedding competed in the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

WHY:

Fox News - The indictment alleges Gomez supplied information about law-enforcement operations to help Wedding and other co-conspirators avoid detection.

HOW:

Fox News - Gomez allegedly obtained information about arrests, drug seizures, warrant executions and criminal charges from people with access to sensitive Mexican and U.S. law-enforcement information, then passed it to co-conspirators, including Wedding.

NY Post - Gomez allegedly leaked law-enforcement intelligence while working with Mexican cartels.

A federal indictment charges alleged gang member Roberto Gomez in a major drug-trafficking operation. Prosecutors say he leaked law-enforcement intelligence to help former Olympian Ryan Wedding evade detection. Wedding faces allegations of trafficking a billion dollars in cocaine and ordering several murders.