Latest news with #RyanHemphill
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Attorney accused of rape and torture built what appears to be a false persona of wealth and power
In the years before prosecutors accused him of torturing and raping six women inside his midtown Manhattan apartment, Ryan Hemphill presented himself to the world as a success story. Across his three personal websites and LinkedIn profile, Hemphill, 43, flashed a law degree, an MBA, ownership of a private equity firm, a nonprofit and a former role at the United Nations. On Thursday, New York prosecutors said he used that image of wealth and power 'as both sword and shield' to prey on women, charging him with 116 counts of rape, strangulation, predatory sexual assault and bribery, among other charges. 'He told them that he had resources that made him untouchable, including purported deep connections in law enforcement and in organized crime,' Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a news conference. 'He impressed upon them that going to the authorities would be futile and that he would never be held accountable.' But upon closer examination, Hemphill's projected image of affluence and influence appears to crumble. Driving his supposed success appears to be two companies he says he founded: New York City-based private equity firm Madison Park Capital Advisors, Inc. and online car auction site the MB Market, according to his LinkedIn. On one of his personal websites, he boasts of clients including an international men's fashion label and 'one of the largest residential real estate developers in the Midwest.' However, the LinkedIn profile and official website of Madison Park Capital Advisors lists its location as Seattle, Washington, not New York City. The firm's website does not list Hemphill as a founder or an employee. The 'Madison Park Capital Advisors' listed on Hemphill's LinkedIn profile also links out to the Seattle firm. One of the firm's principals, Chris Featherstone, said in an email that he does not know who Hemphill is. 'He is not related to us whatsoever,' Featherstone said, before declining to comment News couldn't find records for another company under the name 'Madison Park Capital Advisors' in New York or any other state. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission referred NBC News to its website, which did not list Hemphill or any companies associated with his name in a database for investment companies and registered investment advisers. 'When I saw the news report and it referred to the money and power, I certainly chuckled,' said a person who's worked for Hemphill. 'Either I was scammed or, otherwise, my sense is there's not a lot of money and certainly not a lot of power there.' The person, who spoke with NBC News on the condition of anonymity due to fear of being associated with the allegations against Hemphill, said Hemphill frequently complained about his finances. Hemphill's attorney, Caroline Ng — a public defender of the Legal Aid Society — and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office declined to comment. Hemphill pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Hemphill's history with the other company he claims to have founded, the MB Market, is somewhat more verifiable. A spokesperson for the MB Market said in a statement that Hemphill was an 'early investor' in the auction site, which launched in 2020, but noted they 'would not consider him to be an original founder.' 'He is no longer affiliated with the company and hasn't been for quite some time,' the spokesperson wrote. 'He entered into a private agreement with the company that prohibits the company from commenting further.' On Jan. 31, 2024, Hemphill sued the founders of the MB Market for trying to sell the company without his prior knowledge that month, according to court records. Hours after the sale of the company was announced, Hemphill sent threatening text messages to Ben Everest, one of the company's co-founders, according the MB Market's response to the suit. In the exchange, Hemphill insinuates that he knew the former head of the Federal Trade Commission and would use the connection to punish Everest and Blakley Leonard, the co-founder of the MB Market. 'I will spend every waking moment, and every g------ time I have to ensure that the rest of his life is nothing but suffering,' Hemphill wrote about Leonard, according to the documents. 'The amount of fire I have to burn in response to this exceeds anything they could potentially anticipate,' Hemphill wrote in another text, according to the documents. 'I will do TIME to f--- them up. Praise be to GOD.' Everest and Leonard did not return multiple requests for comment. Hemphill, Everest and Leonard ended up settling, with Hemphill selling his share of the company, according to the documents. In New York, prosecutors accuse Hemphill of similarly leveraging false connections to officials to intimidate women, including threatening he could get them arrested if they reported him to authorities. 'You prostitute,' he texted one of the women on Dec. 22, according to prosecutors. 'Did you not notice all the police business cards on my f------ coffee table? I know half the precinct, you f–--. A man who is familiar with the business operations of the MB Market — and spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of association with the accusations against Hemphill — said Hemphill 'couldn't really answer any legal or business questions with any sort of certainty.' When they began working together, the man said he was suspicious of Hemphill and confronted him about his business dealings. 'I asked him point blank, 'have you ever done private equity?' And he admitted it to me and said, 'no,'' the man said. Before his supposed work in the private sector, Hemphill claims that he worked as a diplomatic advisor and a delegate for the United Nations throughout 2008 and 2009, according to his LinkedIn profile. United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the intergovernmental organization found 'no record of him ever having been a U.N. staff member.' Dujarric cautioned that it was possible Hemphill worked as a consultant for the U.N., but cast doubt. "The way I read his LinkedIn is that he was a delegate for an NGO for a meeting at the UN, which then often then people tend to exaggerate 'oh, I was working at the UN,' which is different," Dujarric said. NBC News confirmed with the New York State Unified Court System that Hemphill is a licensed attorney with a law degree from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Hofstra confirmed Hemphill obtained his law degree there, in addition to obtaining his bachelor's degree in drama and MBA at the university. Other aspects of his resume remain unverified. The other previous employers he lists on his LinkedIn profile declined to comment or could not be reached for comment. Building a strong online profile could have been useful for Hemphill. Officials said that between October 2024 and March, Hemphill met several of the six women he's accused of torturing and raping online, including on SugarDaddy and SugarDaddyMeet, FetLife, and Craigslist. He allegedly offered the women large sums of money in exchange for sex and companionship, but often did not pay them on agreed-upon amounts or paid them with fake money, prosecutors said. Prosecutors allege Hemphill recorded the sex acts and torture, during which he allegedly punched, waterboarded, urinated on and used shock collars and cattle prods to harm the women. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said on Thursday that prosecutors believe 'there may be more survivors,' adding that 'dozens, if not hundreds, of women are captured on that footage.' 'The defendant told these survivors that he was untouchable,' Bragg said. 'The indictment makes clear that he was wrong.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
30-04-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Attorney accused of rape and torture built what appears to be a false persona of wealth and power
In the years before prosecutors accused him of torturing and raping six women inside his midtown Manhattan apartment, Ryan Hemphill presented himself to the world as a success story. Across his three personal websites and LinkedIn profile, Hemphill, 43, flashed a law degree, an MBA, ownership of a private equity firm, a nonprofit and a former role at the United Nations. On Thursday, New York prosecutors said he used that image of wealth and power 'as both sword and shield' to prey on women, charging him with 116 counts of rape, strangulation, predatory sexual assault and bribery, among other charges. 'He told them that he had resources that made him untouchable, including purported deep connections in law enforcement and in organized crime,' Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a news conference. 'He impressed upon them that going to the authorities would be futile and that he would never be held accountable.' But upon closer examination, Hemphill's projected image of affluence and influence appears to crumble. Driving his supposed success appears to be two companies he says he founded: New York City-based private equity firm Madison Park Capital Advisors, Inc. and online car auction site the MB Market, according to his LinkedIn. On one of his personal websites, he boasts of clients including an international men's fashion label and 'one of the largest residential real estate developers in the Midwest.' However, the LinkedIn profile and official website of Madison Park Capital Advisors lists its location as Seattle, Washington, not New York City. The firm's website does not list Hemphill as a founder or an employee. The 'Madison Park Capital Advisors' listed on Hemphill's LinkedIn profile also links out to the Seattle firm. One of the firm's principals, Chris Featherstone, said in an email that he does not know who Hemphill is. 'He is not related to us whatsoever,' Featherstone said, before declining to comment further. NBC News couldn't find records for another company under the name 'Madison Park Capital Advisors' in New York or any other state. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission referred NBC News to its website, which did not list Hemphill or any companies associated with his name in a database for investment companies and registered investment advisers. 'When I saw the news report and it referred to the money and power, I certainly chuckled,' said a person who's worked for Hemphill. 'Either I was scammed or, otherwise, my sense is there's not a lot of money and certainly not a lot of power there.' The person, who spoke with NBC News on the condition of anonymity due to fear of being associated with the allegations against Hemphill, said Hemphill frequently complained about his finances. Hemphill's attorney, Caroline Ng — a public defender of the Legal Aid Society — and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office declined to comment. Hemphill pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Hemphill's history with the other company he claims to have founded, the MB Market, is somewhat more verifiable. A spokesperson for the MB Market said in a statement that Hemphill was an 'early investor' in the auction site, which launched in 2020, but noted they 'would not consider him to be an original founder.' 'He is no longer affiliated with the company and hasn't been for quite some time,' the spokesperson wrote. 'He entered into a private agreement with the company that prohibits the company from commenting further.' On Jan. 31, 2024, Hemphill sued the founders of the MB Market for trying to sell the company without his prior knowledge that month, according to court records. Hours after the sale of the company was announced, Hemphill sent threatening text messages to Ben Everest, one of the company's co-founders, according the MB Market's response to the suit. In the exchange, Hemphill insinuates that he knew the former head of the Federal Trade Commission and would use the connection to punish Everest and Blakley Leonard, the co-founder of the MB Market. 'I will spend every waking moment, and every g------ time I have to ensure that the rest of his life is nothing but suffering,' Hemphill wrote about Leonard, according to the documents. 'The amount of fire I have to burn in response to this exceeds anything they could potentially anticipate,' Hemphill wrote in another text, according to the documents. 'I will do TIME to f--- them up. Praise be to GOD.' Everest and Leonard did not return multiple requests for comment. Hemphill, Everest and Leonard ended up settling, with Hemphill selling his share of the company, according to the documents. In New York, prosecutors accuse Hemphill of similarly leveraging false connections to officials to intimidate women, including threatening he could get them arrested if they reported him to authorities. 'You prostitute,' he texted one of the women on Dec. 22, according to prosecutors. 'Did you not notice all the police business cards on my f------ coffee table? I know half the precinct, you f–--. A man who is familiar with the business operations of the MB Market — and spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of association with the accusations against Hemphill — said Hemphill 'couldn't really answer any legal or business questions with any sort of certainty.' When they began working together, the man said he was suspicious of Hemphill and confronted him about his business dealings. 'I asked him point blank, 'have you ever done private equity?' And he admitted it to me and said, 'no,'' the man said. NBC News confirmed with the New York State Unified Court System that Hemphill is a licensed attorney with a law degree from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Hofstra confirmed Hemphill obtained his law degree there, in addition to obtaining his bachelor's degree in drama and MBA at the university. Other aspects of his resume remain unverified. The other previous employers he lists on his LinkedIn profile declined to comment or could not be reached for comment. Building a strong online profile could have been useful for Hemphill. Officials said that between October 2024 and March, Hemphill met several of the six women he's accused of torturing and raping online, including on SugarDaddy and SugarDaddyMeet, FetLife, and Craigslist. He allegedly offered the women large sums of money in exchange for sex and companionship, but often did not pay them on agreed-upon amounts or paid them with fake money, prosecutors said. Prosecutors allege Hemphill recorded the sex acts and torture, during which he allegedly punched, waterboarded, urinated on and used shock collars and cattle prods to harm the women. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said on Thursday that prosecutors believe 'there may be more survivors,' adding that 'dozens, if not hundreds, of women are captured on that footage.' 'The defendant told these survivors that he was untouchable,' Bragg said. 'The indictment makes clear that he was wrong.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
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. Deported 'Maryland Man' Championed By Dems Was Pulled Over Driving Car Belonging To Human Smuggler "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. Read On The Fox News App 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. Trump Admin Files First Racketeering Charges Against Massive Migrant Terrorist Group Present In Us 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. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: NYC executive used apartment to rape, torture women in 'calculated campaign of violence': prosecutors
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
