A former JPMorgan staffer who sources identified as Chirayu Rana has been accused of making fabricated sexual-harassment claims against a high-ranking executive at the bank after an internal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, The Post has learned.
Multiple sources told The Post that 35-year-old Rana, now a principal at investment firm Bregal Sagemount, is the man who brought the bombshell lawsuit against Lorna Hajdini earlier this week.
Rana’s suit, filed on Monday under the pseudonym John Doe, accused the 37-year-old executive director of turning him into her “sex slave” by drugging him with Rohypnol and Viagra and threatening to slash his bonus if he did not comply.
The Daily Mail broke the story on Wednesday evening, citing lurid details from a now-retracted court document that has since been withdrawn for “corrections.”
The British tabloid, quoting the now-deleted court papers, reported that Hajdini, executive director on JPMorgan’s leveraged finance team, even turned up unannounced at Rana’s apartment and forced him to have sex.
Hajdini hit back in a statement issued to The Post via her lawyers: “Lorna categorically denies the allegations. She never engaged in any inappropriate conduct with this individual of any kind and has never even been to the location where the alleged sexual assault supposedly took place.”
Rana, who did not reply to The Post’s multiple requests for comment, claimed that the alleged coercion began shortly after he joined JPMorgan’s leveraged-finance team in the spring of 2024.
He filed an internal complaint in May 2025, alleging race- and gender-based harassment and abuse of power before trying to negotiate a payoff that ran into “millions” to leave the company, sources said.
The suit also named JPMorgan Chase as a defendant, accusing the bank of retaliation and failing to investigate properly.
Daniel J. Kaiser, the attorney listed on the New York County Supreme Court docket as representing “John Doe”, did not return The Post’s calls seeking comment.
JPMorgan strongly denied all of the claims.
A bank spokesperson, who refused to be drawn on the identity of Doe, said a thorough internal probe by the bank’s HR department and in-house lawyers, which included a review of team phone records and emails, found no evidence to support them.
“Following an investigation, we don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims,” the spokesperson said. “While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused to participate and has declined to provide facts that would be central to support his allegations.”
The Post also has learned that Rana did not report to Hajdini. The two were simply colleagues on the leveraged finance team, which works on large corporate acquisitions, mergers, and buyouts.
People familiar with the matter said Hajdini reported to managing director Brandon Graffeo, while Rana was supervised by another managing director, Jon Wolter. It means she would have no sway over the size of his annual bonus.
One colleague described Rana, a former basketball player and Rutgers graduate, as “socially awkward” but someone who “met the requirements” to remain at the bank.
Friends of Hajdini, who is still working at JPMorgan, said she is viewed internally as “a top performer.”
“He has tarnished her with a complete fabrication,” said one ally, who was not authorized to speak to the media.
Hajdini’s own LinkedIn profile shows that the NYU Stern School of Business graduate and wine enthusiast spends her spare time outside of work volunteering for Minds Matter, a non-profit that helps underprivileged youngsters achieve their dream of going to college.
Property records link Rana to an apartment in Manhattan’s Kips Bay neighborhood and a $1.7 million family home in Fairfax County, Va.
Rana’s journeyman career in finance has included stints at Houlihan Lokey, Credit Suisse, TCG Capital Markets, Morgan Stanley, and The Carlyle Group before he joined JPMorgan.
He is now a principal at Bregal Sagemount, a New York-based firm led by Goldman Sachs alum Gene Yoon that invests in software, digital infrastructure, healthcare IT, and financial services.
No trial date has been set. The lawsuit remains reportable because court filings in the United States enjoy absolute privilege against defamation claims, shielding media outlets from liability as long as they fairly and accurately describe the allegations.
It grants media outlet immunity from liability provided they reproduce the allegations fairly and truthfully, meaning they cannot be sued even if the claims in the complaint later prove false or malicious.
