Police Files
“Romantic interest” arrested following police standoff on Peninsula in alleged attempt to extort money for nude photos
On Tuesday, Feb. 1, Newport Beach Police confirmed the arrest of one suspect involved in an incident at the reported Balboa Peninsula residence of Elizabeth Lyn Vargas, a season 15 star on the television program The Real Housewives of Orange County.
According to Newport Beach Police spokesperson Heather Rangel, at around 1:50 p.m., officers were called to the 100 block of Medina Way (at E. Balboa Blvd.) following a request for a welfare check.
When officers arrived on the scene, they observed an emergency situation that warranted the immediate evacuation of the victim, who was reportedly being held and threatened at gunpoint by the suspect.
Based on information the officers then received after rescuing the victim, the evolving incident warranted the evacuation of surrounding residences. The NBPD Crisis Response Team was also requested to secure the residence and ensure the safety of the community.
The suspect reportedly then barricaded himself inside.
With SWAT members visible along the boardwalk adjoining the residence, police later closed down all vehicle traffic between Island and Coronado on E. Balboa Blvd. just before 7 p.m., forcing those seeking access to or from the Peninsula area to utilize the Balboa Ferry.
Shortly before 9 p.m., the suspect finally surrendered, allowing police to enter the home and arrest Ryan Matthew Geraghty, a 33-year-old white male from Los Angeles.
He was initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon, residential burglary, being a felon in possession of a firearm and extortion.
Follow-up arrest reports from the Orange County District Attorney’s office confirmed that Geraghty was allegedly extorting tens of thousands of dollars from the victim in exchange for not selling nude photographs of the woman to the media.
Geraghty’s charges have been adjusted to one felony count of extortion by force or threat, one felony count of assault with a firearm, one felony count of criminal threats, one felony count of corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, one felony count of grossly negligent discharge of a firearm, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon and two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance. He has also been charged with two felony enhancements of personally using a firearm and an enhancement under Penal code section 1203e4 that prohibits a judge from offering him probation as a result of his violent record.
He faces a maximum sentence of 75 years and four months to life if convicted on all charges.
Geraghty already has two prior strikes under California’s Three Strikes Law. He was scheduled to be arraigned yesterday.
Geraghty, who reportedly had a romantic relationship with the victim, allegedly pointed a gun at the victim after arriving at her home and threatened to kill her for refusing to give him any more money.
Beginning on Christmas Eve 2021, Geraghty is accused of beginning to extort money from the woman in exchange for not selling nude photos of her to the media. After the woman told Geraghty she would no longer be providing him any more money, Geraghty is accused of punching the woman in the face. When she attempted to cut him off again, he pointed a gun at her and threatened to kill her.
Geraghty is accused of forcing the woman to buy him a BMW, which she did.
On Monday, Jan. 31, Geraghty is accused of shooting a gun into the ceiling of the home during an argument while the victim hid in a closet.
The next day, he is accused of calling the woman to tell her he is coming for her because she stole his car. He then came to her house with a gun, which he pointed in her face, threatening to kill her.
Newport Beach police heard a struggle over the phone while attempting to contact the victim.
“There are some members of our society who are so violent that they cannot live among the rest of us,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “California’s Three Strikes Law was designed to protect law-abiding residents from being subjected to a never-ending campaign of violence by individuals who have no respect for the law and no respect for human life. Thankfully the Newport Beach Police Department prevented serious harm from coming to this woman and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office will do everything it can to prevent this violent criminal from being able to harm anyone else.”
Deputy District Attorney Diana King of the Family Protection Unit is prosecuting this case.
RHOC is a reality show broadcast on Bravo, that focuses on the personal and professional lives of a group of women residing in OC. The show first premiered in 2006.
Editor’s Note: An arrest contains allegations that a suspect has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.