COCONUT GROVE, FLA. (WSVN) - A celebrity hair stylist from Miami has been arrested on charges that he used social media to lure a 15-year-old client into sexual activity, authorities said.
Ryan Thomas Pearl, who has styled hair for high-profile clients, was charged with multiple felonies, including using a computer to seduce a child, traveling to meet a minor for sex, and electronic transmission harmful to minors, according to an arrest report.
The 37-year-old appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer on Thursday. The judge read the charges he is facing.
“Electronic transmission to minors, two counts, and possession of cocaine, and also contributing to the delinquency or dependency of the child,” said Glazer.
According to authorities, Pearl met the teen when she was 13 years old. After doing her hair for nearly two years, he began sending the minor sexual messages and naked pictures.
All of this unfolded while the suspect was aware that the victim was a minor, police said.
“She tells the person arrested, ‘You know I’m 15,’ … but it didn’t faze him,” said City of Miami Police Officer Michael Vega.
Detectives said the victim’s mother noticed the troubling messages and behavior after discovering the teen had received money from Pearl via Apple Pay.
“When the mother sees that it’s a hair stylist sending her money, she’s like, ‘What is this for?’ And she goes into her phone,” said Vega.
The teen’s mother reported the inappropriate messages between Pearl and her daughter on Snapchat and TikTok, as well as text messages, to police.
Detectives posed as the teen, and they said that during controlled conversations, Pearl sent messages that were sexual in nature, included explicit photos and videos, and detailed plans to meet for sexual activity.
According to the arrest report, Pearl drove to a prearranged location on Wednesday, along the 2600 block of South Bayshore Drive in Coconut Grove, to pick up the teen, unaware he was meeting undercover detectives.
“They said, ‘Hey, if you’re coming, bring some condoms and bring me some vapes,'” said Vega.
Officers said they found cash, condoms, vape pens and small baggies of suspected pink cocaine in his vehicle, along with two cellphones.
Pearl was taken into custody following a felony traffic stop and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade.
In bond court on Thursday, he was issued a stay-away order from the victim and given a $26,000 bond.
“Do you understand the stay-away order, sir?” said Glazer.
“Yes, Your Honor,” said Pearl.
“No texting, email, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat or anything else with this child,” said Glazer. “In fact, you should not have any unsupervised contact with any minor children. Do you understand that?” said Glazer.
“Yes, Your Honor,” said Pearl.
Detectives believe Pearl may have deceived other girls.
“We believe that there might be other people that he’s had contact with, that are probably afraid to come forward,” said Vega.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.