Crime & Safety

'El Wingador' Headed to Prison for Cocaine Possession

Bill Simmons, aka El Wingador the wing-eating champ, was caught with cocaine a year ago. He struck a plea deal.

William T. Simmons—better known to competitive eating fans as El Wingador—could go to prison for seven years after pleading guilty Monday to a cocaine charge.

The chicken wing-eating champion saw his empire crumble after he was caught in June 2012 with cocaine during a traffic stop. He was driving an El Wingador-branded car at the time.

Police reportedly found $8,000 worth of powdered cocaine and more than $4,000 in cash in his 2010 Kia Soul when detectives stopped him. 

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Simmons, 51, pleaded guilty second-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Under the plea agreement, the Gloucester County prosecutor will recommend seven years in prison, but won’t object if Simmons applies for an intensive supervision program that could shorten his sentence.

Simmons admitted he was carrying cocaine when he was stopped in Mullica Hill on June 15. He was charged for a drug buy in Harrison Township, and had faced more than a dozen charges.

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When asked if he was using cocaine at the time, Simmons replied, “Yeah, a little bit,” according to the prosecutor’s office.

Simmons will be sentenced Sept. 20.

Simmons, who lives in Woodbury Heights, is a five-time champion of the Wing Bowl, Philadelphia's much-beloved wing-eating contest that celebrates gluttony before every Super Bowl. Three of his titles came in a consecutive run in 2001-2003.

El Wingador made a highly publicized stab for another title in 2011, but fell short to Jonathan "Super" Squibb.

Originally jailed on $100,000 bail, Simmons' attorney tried to use his client's charitable works to get a lower bond, highlighting Simmons' work for breast cancer and autism causes. He also used his local celebrity to market a line of El Wingador chicken wings.


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