A former drug dealer who rehabilitated himself to become a self-styled whistleblower on San Francisco’s escalating drug and homeless crisis, has been charged on suspicion of pimping and pandering.
Ricci Wynne, 39, who frequently appears on Fox News as he pinpoints the Democrat city’s major problems is well known for his fiery rhetoric and unfiltered videos exposing the city’s open-air drug markets.
But on Saturday night Wynne was arrested on felony charges of pimping at San Francisco Airport.
Law enforcement officials allege how Wynne exploited vulnerable individuals for financial gain, a charge that starkly contrasts with his public persona as a reform advocate.
Details of the case are still emerging, but authorities have pointed to evidence linking Wynne to activities that exploited individuals struggling with homelessness and addiction — the very demographics he claimed to champion.
Wynne along with a 30-year-old woman whom police believe he was using for sex work, were detained at San Francisco International Airport at 8:50pm on Saturday, having arrived on a flight from Miami.
The woman was released, and Wynne was arrested after officers developed ‘probable cause’. Maxie said.
Wynne was booked into San Francisco County jail on Monday morning just after 2am.
Ricci Wynne, a former drug dealer who rehabilitated himself to become a self-styled whistleblower on San Francisco’s escalating drug and homeless crisis, has been charged on suspicion of pimping and pandering
Wynne, 39, frequently appears on Fox News as he pinpoints the Democrat city’s major issues
Wynee appears on Fox News regularly and is well known for his fiery rhetoric and unfiltered videos exposing the city’s open-air drug markets
Police then carried out a search at Wynne’s home in the city where they found more than $79,000 in cash in the apartment where investigators believe sex work occurred.
With more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and 29,900 followers on X Wynne was able to give a voice to those living in the shadows and helped pressure city officials to acknowledge the crisis with his videos of homeless people and drug users on the streets of downtown.
Wynne’s videos forced uncomfortable conversations about the state of San Francisco and highlighted the human cost of the city’s ineffective policies.
Critics argued his approach was without nuance and empathy, focusing more on shock value than any meaningful or sustainable solutions, leading to accusations of opportunism.
Wynne rose to prominence following a troubled past that included his own struggles with addiction and incarceration.
As a former drug dealer he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and was released from jail in December 2021 and sentenced to three years of probation.
He turned to social media as his platform and looked to be determined to shed light on the issues plaguing his city,
His videos captured the grim realities of neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, where drug use and drug dealing thrived out in the open.
Wynne’s videos forced uncomfortable conversations about the state of San Francisco and highlighted the human cost of the city’s ineffective policies
Wynne rose to prominence following a troubled past that included his own struggles with addiction, his work as a drug dealer and subsequent incarceration
Wynne’s videos would help showcase the issues with San Francisco particluarly when it comes to the city’s drug problems
On social media Wynne appeared to want to get women off the streets and into rehab
Wynne was even pictured during the most recent election campaign helping toe get Daniel Lurie into office and become the city’s new mayor
Wynne has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and 29,900 followers on X
Wynne’s raw footage and candid commentary struck a chord with viewers.
‘I’ve lived this life. I’ve been there. I’m not just some outsider coming in to criticize,’ Wynne said in an interview last year. ‘This is about holding people accountable.’
His critiques often targeted city officials and harm reduction policies, which he claimed enabled the drug crisis to continue rather than alleviating it.
But as Wynne’s posts gained traction he also became a polarizing figure acting as a hero to some who admired his unvarnished activism, and a troublemaker to others who found his methods to be sensationalist.