Attorney Accused Of Torturing, Raping 6 Women He Met Online In Manhattan, DA Says

Editor's note: Victims of domestic violence and people who may be at risk can contact the national domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Call Manhattan District Attorney's Special Victims Division at 212-335-3400. For emergencies, call 911.

MIDTOWN, NY — A private equity lawyer is accused of torturing, drugging and raping at least six women he met online in his Midtown apartment between October 2024 and March 2025, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Thursday.

Ryan Hemphill, the defendant, received a 116-count New York State Supreme Court indictment on Thursday, which outlines a spree of sexual violence.

Beginning in October, Bragg said Hemphill is accused of filming himself raping and physically torturing at least six victims for hours on end, sometimes using a shock collar or a cattle prod meant for livestock.

During the incidents, he forced or tricked his victims into taking various controlled substances that rendered them unconscious or significantly impaired, before violently assaulting them, Bragg said.

Hemphill met the women online, from websites like Craigslist and Seeking.com, and offered them large sums of money in exchange for sex, Bragg said.

But, in many cases, he didn't pay them the agreed amount, and in one case, he paid the woman with fake money, prosecutors say.

After the torture had ended, Bragg said that Hemphill threatened the women to keep them from going to the police.

Bragg said Hemphill intimidated the victims by telling them he had connections to the police and organized crime, or that they would be arrested instead, and in one case, paid a woman $2,000 to drop a complaint she had filed.

"We allege that Ryan Hemphill raped and violently assaulted six different women in his apartment in just five months," Bragg said. “Further, we allege that he threatened the women and used his position as an attorney to intimidate them and prevent them from reporting these crimes. This investigation is ongoing, and we have reason to believe there may be additional survivors."

The defendant was arrested on March 1 after investigators found hundreds of bullets, a cattle prod, large amounts of drugs, including heroin and fentanyl, several surveillance cameras with dozens of videos of women, and more.

Hemphill's attorney, Caroline Ng from the Legal Aid Society, declined a request for comment.

“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,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.