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NDTV
25-04-2025
- NDTV
US Lawyer Tortured Women With Cattle Prod, Shock Collar While Raping Them
New Delhi: A New York City lawyer has been accused of transforming his Midtown apartment into a torture chamber, where he allegedly raped, drugged, urinated on, and abused women using a cattle prod and electric shock collar. Ryan Hemphill, 43, was indicted Thursday on 116 criminal counts, including predatory sexual assault, rape, and witness tampering after prosecutors said he lured at least six women through "sugar daddy" websites and subjected them to hours of sadistic abuse. Between October 2024 and March 2025, Hemphill allegedly used platforms like Seeking Arrangements, Craigslist, and FetLife to pose as a wealthy benefactor offering cash in exchange for companionship or sex, as per Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. But when the women arrived at his apartment near the Empire State Building, they encountered what prosecutors described as a "house of horrors." Hemphill allegedly restrained the victims with handcuffs, slapped and punched them, and subjected them to psychological and physical torment. In several instances, he allegedly used a cattle prod to shock women, and forced others to wear an electric shock collar - devices typically used on livestock - while raping them. He also allegedly urinated on some of the women and reenacted past sexual traumas that victims had confided in him about. Prosecutors say Hemphill drugged the women, either by force or deception, using heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine - all of which were later found in large quantities in his apartment. Surveillance cameras were hidden throughout his home, capturing videos of the encounters. According to Bragg, the recovered footage shows dozens -potentially hundreds - of different women. "The defendant told survivors he was untouchable," Bragg said during a press conference, as per The NY Times. He used his law degree and money as both sword and shield - manipulating, coercing, and silencing his victims, Bragg added. "The indictment makes clear that he was wrong," he said. After the assaults, Hemphill allegedly used intimidation tactics to prevent the women from reporting him. He threatened them over text, claiming ties to law enforcement and organised crime, reported People Magazine. In one message, he told a victim not to bother contacting the police because he "knows half the precinct." In another case, he reportedly drafted a contract offering $2,000 to a woman in exchange for dropping her complaint with the Manhattan Special Victims Squad. Some victims were even forced to record videos saying the encounters were consensual - later used as leverage. Hemphill was arrested on March 1. During a search of his apartment, police recovered a cattle prod, shock collars, hundreds of bullets, high-capacity magazines, fake currency, handcuffs, and large amounts of narcotics. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was ordered held without bail at Rikers Island. This isn't the first time Hemphill has faced accusations of violent behaviour. In 2015, he was tried for allegedly choking an ex-girlfriend and holding a 10-inch knife to her throat. A jury found him not guilty.
Fox News
25-04-2025
- Fox News
NYC executive used apartment to rape, torture women in 'calculated campaign of violence': prosecutors
WARNING: This story contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers. A private equity executive used a New York City apartment as a torture chamber where he raped, punched, shackled and used a cattle prod in a series of depraved acts involving six women, Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday. Ryan Hemphill, 43, has pleaded not guilty a 116-count indictment charging him with predatory sexual assault and other crimes dating back to last October. He faces life in prison. To conceal his crimes, Hemphill, who is also a lawyer, threatened to have the women arrested or killed by falsely claiming to have vast resources and connections to police and organized crime, prosecutors said. "The details in this case are beyond disturbing — a sustained, calculated campaign of violence and cruelty that targeted vulnerable women. This kind of predatory abuse has no place in our city and will be met with the full force of the law," New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said in a statement announcing the charges. Hemphill met many of the victims on dating websites like (formerly known as Seeking Arrangements), SugarDaddy and SugarDaddyMeet, FetLife and Craigslist, where he offered them money for sex and companionship, authorities said, adding that he sometimes paid them with counterfeit money. Hemphill's apartment had multiple surveillance cameras, and investigators have recovered images showing dozens, if not hundreds, of other women, many of them naked and blindfolded, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mirah Curzer told Judge Ann Scherzer during a Thursday hearing where Hemphill was present. Investigators also found hundreds of bullets and high-capacity magazines, and a large amount of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, and fentanyl, prosecutors said. As Hemphill got to know the women, he allegedly convinced them to confide their past sexual traumas, which he then deliberately reenacted as he assaulted them, Curzer said. He forced or tricked them into ingesting various drugs that rendered them unconscious or significantly impaired, prosecutors said. In addition, he also slapped and punched them repeatedly and tied them up with handcuffs and other restraints. In one incident, one of the victims was left shackled to Hemphill's bed as she begged him to let her go. Hemphill also used a cattle prod, an instrument meant for livestock, and a shock collar that he forced some women to wear around their necks, including while he raped them. He also allegedly tortured them psychologically by threatening them with guns and knives, urinating on them, and verbally humiliating and demeaning them. Some victims were allegedly forced to record videos in which they stated that they consented to being raped and tortured, which Hemphill allegedly used to convince them that they wouldn't be believed if they reported him. Scherzer ordered Hemphill to remain jailed after prosecutors raised concerns about him possibly fleeing the country, citing his wealth and connections — including a history of philanthropy and family real estate holdings. Hemphill's alleged behavior, the judge said, "shows his extent to which he's willing to go to protect himself from facing these charges." Fox News Digital has tried reaching out to Hemphill.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Financial Advisor Used Cattle Prod, Shock Collar on Women as He Raped Them, Urinated on Them: DA
A New York City financial advisor faces dozens of criminal charges alleging he raped and tortured several women he met online at his Manhattan bachelor pad. Ryan Hemphill, 43, was indicted on 116 counts on Thursday, including rape, predatory sexual assault, facilitating a sex offense with a controlled substance and bribing witnesses, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced in a news release. Hemphill was arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to all counts. A judge ordered him remanded to Rikers Island. Hemphill, who describes himself on his website as a "successful private equity and venture capital executive" and a "committed philanthropist," is accused of luring six women to his Midtown apartment after posing as a sugar daddy on sites like Seeking Arrangements, Craigslist, and FetLife. The women were allegedly under the impression Hemphill was seeking sex or companionship in exchange for money, according to the release. But the women allegedly arrived to a house of horrors. Between October 2024 and March 2025, prosecutors say, the six women — who were allegedly never paid, except with fake money — endured physical and psychological torture at the hands of Hemphill. Hemphill's alleged depraved behavior encompassed a wide range of abuse, say prosecutors. He allegedly handcuffed the women as he punched and slapped them, "forced or tricked" them into ingesting physically impairing substances and threatened his victims with guns and knives, the release states. He also allegedly tortured his victims using a cattle prod and made some of them wear a shock collar as he raped them. He also is alleged to have urinated on some of his victims as a form of torture. Prosecutors even allege in the release that when the women confided in Hemphill about their past sexual traumas, he proceeded to reenact those traumas. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Hemphill would then allegedly threaten the women over text message to ensure they wouldn't report the incidents. Some of the victims were allegedly forced to say, on camera, that their encounters were consensual. In another case, he allegedly drafted a contract wherein he'd pay a woman $2,000 to drop a complaint she had made to police, according to the release. Text messages shared by the DA's office in the release allegedly show he told one woman not to bother reporting the assault, because he "know[s] half the precinct." Hemphill was arrested on March 1. Authorities executing a search warrant allegedly found a cattle prod, hundreds of bullets, high-capacity magazines, handcuffs and fake cash. Also recovered were "large amounts" of drugs including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, the DA's office reported. At a Thursday press conference, Bragg said that surveillance cameras were outfitted at Hemphill's apartment that captured "dozens, if not hundreds, of different women." Legal Aid, which is representing Hemphill, declined PEOPLE's request for comment. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to . Read the original article on People
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
Duluth man wanted for alleged sexual assault in Superior
Apr. 1—SUPERIOR — An arrest warrant has been issued in Douglas County Circuit Court for a Duluth man accused of a sexual assault with connections to an adult social networking website. Nathaniel James-Alfred Arnold, 22, faces felony counts of second-degree sexual assault and strangulation and suffocation, as well as one count of misdemeanor battery. The criminal complaint was filed Friday, March 28, with the Douglas County Clerk of Courts and the arrest warrant was authorized Monday, March 31, according to online court records. A Superior woman told Superior police she had met a man through FetLife, a social media website for people who engage in unconventional sexual preferences, and talked with him about one of her fantasies. She and the man, later identified as Arnold, began to discuss a scenario where they would meet to have consensual sex, but roleplay as if it were nonconsensual, according to the criminal complaint. The woman told police their discussions did not include concrete plans. She said she did not share her address with him because she was waiting until they had boundaries in place. At Arnold's request, the woman moved their discussions from FetLife to Snapchat. They spoke about meeting July 1 or 2, but circumstances prevented it, the complaint said. The charges allege that Arnold entered the woman's unlocked apartment and sexually assaulted her on the morning of July 4. The woman alleged that Arnold slapped her, tied her hands with a belt and handcuffs, placed another belt around her neck and applied pressure, blindfolded her, and sexually assaulted her. A Superior police officer observed that the woman had severe bruising, according to the court complaint. The woman said the assault left her bleeding as well. She said she repeatedly attempted to crawl away from Arnold and told him she was in pain, but felt helpless. Superior Police Detective Kelsey Davis identified Arnold through his phone number and online information and matched his driver's license photo with his picture on FetLife. Arnold admitted going to the woman's house July 4 and engaging in a sexual encounter for about two hours, the complaint said. Arnold reportedly said the woman did not give him her address, but he used the Snapchat location feature to get to her address and eventually found her apartment. Although the woman and Arnold spoke briefly about engaging in a consensual fantasy involving roleplay of a nonconsensual encounter, the fantasy was not discussed with enough detail for it to be a consensual encounter, the complaint said. The most serious charge — second-degree sexual assault — is a class C felony with a maximum penalty of 40 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000.
