Content warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of intimate partner violence. Please take care while reading.
On April 24, 2025, New York authorities arraigned Ryan Hemphill, a 43-year-old New York City financial advisor and lawyer, in Manhattan Supreme Court on a staggering 116-count indictment. Hemphill’s charges include sexual assault, rape, coercion, and witness tampering, all stemming from alleged attacks on at least six women over five months.
Cattle prods, shock collars, and waterboarding
Prosecutors allege that Hemphill used online platforms such as Seeking Arrangements, Craigslist, and FetLife to lure women to his Midtown Manhattan apartment under the guise of offering money for companionship or sex. Once there, Hemphill allegedly subjected the women to horrific abuse, physically assaulting the victims, using devices like cattle prods and shock collars, waterboarding, and even urinating on them. He allegedly forced or tricked them into ingesting drugs, rendering them incapacitated, and threatened them with weapons.
In some cases, Hemphill reportedly coerced victims into recording videos stating their encounters. Hemphill allegedly had women sign consensual agreements. He also allegedly bribed one woman with a $2,000 contract to drop her complaint.
A search of Hemphill’s apartment yielded weapons, restraining devices, drugs, and surveillance footage involving numerous women. Authorities said these six victims may be only a fraction of the total number of women affected.
“The defendant told these survivors that he was untouchable,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at Hemphill’s arraignment hearing, according to the AP. “The indictment makes clear that he was wrong.”
New York law enforcement arrested Hemphill on March 1, 2025, detaining him at Rikers Island. During his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. The judge denied bail, citing the severity of the allegations and the risk Hemphill poses if released.
Hemphill’s legal history
Superfun guy: Ryan Hemphill. Look him up! And good luck to everyone who advertises as a sex partner on the internet! pic.twitter.com/xRatdHmyIv
— John Colapinto (@JohnColapinto) April 25, 2025
Hemphill, who describes himself as a “successful private equity and venture capital executive” and a “committed philanthropist,” has a history of legal issues. In 2015, a New York court acquitted Hemphill of charges involving choking and threatening his ex-girlfriend with a knife. He testified that he enjoyed strangling her during sex. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg emphasized the gravity of the case, stating that Hemphill “wielded his law degree and money as both sword and shield, coercing and silencing survivors.” The DA’s office is continuing its investigation, and authorities urge any additional victims to come forward.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673
Published: Apr 25, 2025 12:04 pm