A former Real Housewives of Orange County star’s ex-boyfriend has been sentenced to six years in prison after he pled guilty to attacking her. Elizabeth Lyn Vargas’ former partner held her hostage in her Newport Beach home in 2022.
Elizabeth rose to reality TV fame in 2020 during RHOC season 15 alongside cast members including Gina Kirschenheiter and Shannon Storms Beador.
After her stint on the Bravo TV show, Elizabeth made headlines in 2022 when her home was invaded by her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Matthew Geraghty.
In May 2023, at the same time as Geraghty’s sentencing, Elizabeth shared a post on her Instagram Story reading: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Who is Elizabeth Lyn Vargas?
Elizabeth Lyn Vargas rose to reality TV fame in 2020 during RHOC season 15 alongside cast members including Gina Kirschenheiter and Shannon Storms Beador.
She appeared on the Bravo show for just one season and now owns the premium liquor brand Vargas Vodka.
Elizabeth has over 85k followers on Instagram at @elizabethlynvargas.
What happened to RHOC’s Elizabeth?
Real Housewives of Orange County alum Elizabeth was held hostage by Geraghty in her Newport Beach home in 2022.
Geraghty, 34, was arrested in February last year after a two-hour stand-off with police.
Deadline reports: “Geraghty was charged with single counts of extortion, assault with a firearm, criminal threats, corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, possession of a firearm by a felon and grossly negligent discharge of a firearm, all felonies, as well as two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance.”
A 2022 TMZ report shows footage of Geraghty telling Elizabeth that “she’d be the first to die as heavily-armed police waited outside and readied the SWAT team for her recovery.”
Her ex is set to serve a prison sentence
On Tuesday, May 9, Ryan Matthew Geraghty pled guilty to attacking Elizabeth and was sentenced to six years in prison.
The Orange County Register states: “Prosecutors contended Geraghty, of Los Angeles, began blackmailing Vargas on Christmas Eve, forcing her to pay tens of thousands of dollars to prevent him from releasing nude photos of her. According to the prosecutors, he also allegedly forced her to buy him a BMW.”
The report continues: “Prosecutors said Geraghty went to Vargas’ home, threatening her with a gun because she refused to pay him any more money. While there, he fired a shot into the ceiling during an argument, as Vargas hid in a closet, prosecutors said.”
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website. For the UK, you can visit the Refuge website here, or Women’s Aid.