A California sommelier has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after flying to Texas to torture a young human trafficking victim to induce her to perform sex work.
Ian Justin Ranney, 35, responded to an ad from a federal agent in Dallas posing as a human trafficker and asking for an “experienced sadist” to be paid $6,000 to “break” a young woman.
The San Mateo resident was arrested outside a North Texas warehouse last November with instruments of torture such as coercive devices, rope and batons. He pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping and possession of child pornography in February.
Ranney planned to tie up and waterboard a 21-year-old woman for four days, dousing her genitals with a chemical irritant and subjecting her to complete sensory deprivation.
A criminal complaint seen by DailyMail.com says Ranney told officers he specialized in “objectification and degradation,” after he “psychologically destroyed a few girls.” He added that he could “break any ass.”
Ian Ranney, 35, responded to an ad from a federal agent posing as a trafficker asking for an “experienced sadist” to be paid $6,000 to “break” a young woman
He described himself as a “35M, 6’4 Sadistic Dom” who would “use you mercilessly and show you a world of pain you never imagined”
He described himself as a “35M, 6’4 Sadistic Dom” who would “use you mercilessly and show you a world of pain you never imagined.”
Ranney’s social media shows a luxurious lifestyle full of travel and elegant dining.
He posted images on Facebook proudly showing off his Tesla, vaccine card and voting data.
‘Wine is my passion. Good service is my specialty,” he wrote on Instagram.
The agent who posted the ad claimed he needed someone to “educate one of his girls who no longer wanted to work for him.”
They stated that they ran a human trafficking organization for a ‘high-end clientele’ and had bought the wife of another human trafficker.
When the officer said he needed the victim to do independent sex work and bring him the profit, Ranney said this would be “trickier” but that he “liked a challenge.”
Ranney and the agent agreed that he would work to “break” the woman into an isolated warehouse for four days for $1,500 a day
“That sounds fun,” he wrote.
Ranney and the agent agreed that he would work to “break” the woman in a remote warehouse for four days for $1,500 a day.
He wrote that he would try to leave the woman “undamaged,” adding, “The worst thing she could get is a few broken bones.”
“I use special chemicals during much of my torture scene,” he said. “One of my favorites is capsaicin.”
Ranney suggested that someone recorded the victim being tortured with the chemical because “having someone else watch her during that torture is a good way to put them in their place.”
He planned to bring “blackout contacts” against sensory depravity.
While Ranney engaged in consensual BDSM acts, prosecutors noted that he was repeatedly told that the ad was not about roleplay or fantasy, but about reality.
Ranney’s social media shows a luxurious lifestyle full of travel and elegant dining
He advised upscale restaurants on their wine selections and appeared to have done his last job for Taurus Steakhouse in San Carlos
Three other men who responded to similar ads and traveled to Texas have also been sentenced to prison.
The trained sommelier advised upscale restaurants on their wine selections and appeared to have done his last job for Taurus Steakhouse in San Carlos.
Police also found explicit photos of a 14-year-old girl on his phone.
During Tuesday’s sentencing, Ranney’s attorney claimed he had trouble “connecting” with people, as reported by The Dallas Morning News.
He said that saying sorry for his actions “is not enough.”
Judge Terry Means ruled that because of Ranney’s IQ, he would recommend a prison with “mental problems” so that the sadist is not “put away.”