Father of NY scholar accused of getting into dorm, preying on daughter’s buddies

BRONXVILLE, N.Y. — the daddy of an old Sarah Lawrence university student allegedly extorted and abused a few pupils through the prestigious college and forced one or more pupil into prostitution within the last ten years, federal prosecutors stated Tuesday, Feb. 11.

Lawrence Ray “exploited and abused young men and women emotionally, actually and intimately for his own gain that is financial” ultimately extorting about $1 million from five victims, stated Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Lawyer when it comes to Southern District of brand new York.

Ray, 60, ended up being charged in a indictment with extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor trafficking, cash laundering, and much more.

Prosecutors stated the research had been prompted by the April 2019 mag article, a reference that is apparent a write-up titled “The Stolen children of Sarah Lawrence, ” published on nyc magazine’s The Cut. The personal arts that are liberal feet sex has about 1,700 pupils and it is based in Yonkers, ny.

Ray allegedly ensnared a lot of their victims as they had been teens, Berman stated, and their so-called initial victims were their daughter’s college roommates.

He relocated into on-campus housing together with his child and her roommates during their year that is sophomore in 2010 and began “therapy” sessions with some roommates for which he delivered himself as a daddy figure whom could re re solve their emotional issues, the indictment claimed.

The indictment said in summer 2011, several of the roommates lived with Ray at his Manhattan apartment, where he worked to gain their trust and alienate them from their parents.

Berman said Ray allegedly utilized “physical, mental, and sexual punishment” in order to make their victims confess to wrongdoing that is invented.

Then he allegedly compelled them in order to make significant payments to him and directed them to acquire cash for him by draining their parents’ savings, starting lines of credit, soliciting efforts from acquaintances, offering property ownership, and doing forced work and also prostitution, Berman stated.

“Over nearly ten years, Ray coerced and extorted almost $1 million in re payments from five victims that are different” Berman stated.

In a single particular example, he presumably utilized fear, physical violence, and coercion to make one target to take part in commercial intercourse functions to settle debts she didn’t really owe, Berman said. That target presumably ended up being forced to act as a prostitute for longer than four years, and Ray presumably accumulated a lot more than $500,000 from her, Berman said.

Berman stated Ray allegedly “sexually groomed” that target beginning when she was a scholar, gathering intimately explicit pictures along with other information that is personal then used to coerce her into doing commercial sex acts.

He additionally used physical physical violence. In a single instance, he tied the girl to a chair, put a bag over her mind, and nearly suffocated her, prosecutors stated.

The indictment said in 2013, Ray forced some of the victims to do manual labor at a family member’s home in Pinehurst, North Carolina, to pay off these fictional debts.

Whenever Ray ended up being arrested Tuesday early morning in Piscataway, nj-new jersey, one of is own daughter’s roommates and another victim that is female into the residence, Berman stated.

Ray had a preliminary court look Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan. His arraignment ended up being planned for Wednesday afternoon. CNN reached away to Ray’s defender that is public comment.

Sarah Lawrence university spokeswoman Patricia Pasquale confirmed that Ray had been the moms and dad of a previous pupil.

“The fees within the indictment are serious, wide-ranging, troubling, and upsetting. As constantly, the well-being and safety of our pupils and alumni is a concern when it comes to College, ” Pasquale stated. “In April 2019, ny Magazine published a variety of accusations concerning this previous moms and dad. The University undertook an inside research about the certain tasks alleged in the content to own taken place on our campus last year; the research didn’t substantiate those particular claims. In those days”

The indictment failed to detail which, if any, for the so-called activity that is criminal on campus.

Pasquale said the school was not contacted by the Southern District of the latest York but would cooperate into the research.