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Larry Ray (criminal)

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Larry Ray
Born
Lawrence Grecco

1959 (age 64–65)
United States
Other namesLawrence Ray, Larry Grecco
Criminal statusImprisoned
ChildrenTalia Ray
Conviction(s)Sex trafficking, racketeering, extortion, forced labour
Details
VictimsClaudia Drury[1]
CountryUnited States

Lawrence Grecco(born 1959), known as Larry Ray, is an American criminal who was convicted of multiple counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and forced labor. He founded what was described as a "sex cult" at Sarah Lawrence College.

Early life

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Ray was born as Lawrence Grecco in 1959, in the United States.[2] He grew up in Brooklyn and New Jersey. He became a partner in several bars in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, including the Club Malibu, and JJ Rockers.[3]

He was friends with former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik donating money to Kerik's wedding and was the best man at Kerik's wedding.[4]

Crimes

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Financial

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In the year 2000, federal investigators charged Lawrence Ray with attempting to bribe a bond brokerage firm executive, and he was eventually sentenced to five years of probation in 2004.[3] He later violated his probation when he allegedly abducted his daughter, Talia.[5]

Sex trafficking

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Following his release from prison, he resided in the on-campus apartment of his daughter, Talia Ray. Sarah Lawrence College later told New York Magazine that it was not aware that he had been living on campus.[6] While there, Ray started a sex cult in which he presented himself to students as a former US Marine with training in psychological operations, as well as past work with the Central Intelligence Agency.[7]

In 2011, he and some of the group of students moved into the apartment of Lee Chen in nearby New York City.[8][9][10] He would even manage to convince Santos Rosario's sister Felica to leave her medical training program in California and join them in the Manhattan apartment.[11] It took 6 years for Lee Chen to get an eviction of Ray from his apartment.[12]

In 2013, four of Ray's victims graduated from Sarah Lawrence.[13] In that same year, he used Yallitza and Felicia Rosario as forced labor workers on his stepfather's property in Pinehurst, North Carolina.[11][14] The following year, he coerced former student Claudia Drury into working at a sex club.[15] In 2015, he then started to traffic Claudia into prostitution.[16] In 2016, Ray, Felicia Rosario, and Isabella Pollock moved into the home of one of Ray's friends in New Jersey.[11]

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In February 2020, he was charged by prosecutors in Manhattan with conspiracy, extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor, and other related offenses, following nearly 10 years of alleged transgressions with students and former students.[10][17][3] At a bail hearing, an assistant U.S. Attorney disclosed to the Manhattan federal court that Ray had been arrested while in bed with one of his victims; bail was denied.[18] Defense attorneys argued Ray, who had been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder, was influenced by his psychological problems.[19] Ray was convicted on all counts on April 6, 2022.[20] On January 20, 2023, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison.[21]On February 22, 2023, Isabella Pollock was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for money laundering.[22]

Aftermath

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These events were dramatized in the 2024 Lifetime television movie Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story.[23] A documentary was also made, Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Moynihan, Colin. "Sex Cult's 'Lieutenant' Gets Over 4 Years in Prison for Abetting Abuse". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  2. ^ Bekiempis, Victoria (2023-01-20). "US 'cult' leader given 60 years in prison for sexual and emotional abuse". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  3. ^ a b c Otterman, Sharon (2020-02-12). "The Bizarre Life of the Man Accused in the Sarah Lawrence Sex Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  4. ^ "Sarah Lawrence/ Larry Ray pays for wedding Dec 12 2004 p1". Daily News. 2004-12-12. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-07-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "The Story Behind 'Stolen Youth'". Time. 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  6. ^ "How Lawrence V. Ray Was Able to Form a Sex Cult at Sarah Lawrence College" FRANCISCO ALVARADO, A&E Television Networks, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  7. ^ Horton, Adrian (2023-02-09). "'He took everything away': inside a depraved and devastating sex cult". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  8. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Man speaks out about college sex cult mastermind living in his apartment". ABC7 New York. 2020-02-22. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  9. ^ Hanlon, Greg (6 April 2022). "Sarah Lawrence Sex 'Cult' Leader Convicted of 15 Crimes, Including Sex Trafficking and Extortion". People Magazine. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b Armitage, Rebecca (12 February 2023). "How a dad moved into his daughter's dorm at Sarah Lawrence College and turned it into his own cult". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Jacobs, Shayna (April 4, 2022). "Sarah Lawrence sex-cult trial shows devastated young lives". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  12. ^ Crist • •, Allison (2022-09-29). "'Sex, Lies and the College Cult': All the Bombshells Revealed About the Sarah Lawrence Scandal". NBC New York. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  13. ^ "Larry Ray and the Cult of Cruelty at Sarah Lawrence College". The CrimeWire. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  14. ^ "Southern District of New York | Lawrence Ray Sentenced For Years-Long Predatory Crimes Against Students At Sarah Lawrence College And Others | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  15. ^ Moynihan, Colin (2022-03-25). "Sarah Lawrence Cult Jury Hears From Key Witness: 'I Became a Prostitute'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  16. ^ "Larry Ray goes to hospital as key witness testifies of harm". AP News. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
  17. ^ Salcedo, Andrea (13 February 2020). "What We Know About the Sarah Lawrence Trafficking Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  18. ^ "Larry Ray Was in Bed with Victim in Sex Trafficking Case When Arrested: Prosecutor". NBC New York. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  19. ^ Marcus, Ezra; Walsh, James D. (February 28, 2022). "How Did Larry Ray Run a Cult at Sarah Lawrence?". Intelligencer. New York (magazine). Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  20. ^ Marcus, Ezra; Walsh, James D. (6 April 2022). "The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence: What happened to the group of bright college students who fell under the sway of a classmate's father?". The Cut. New York Magazine. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Lawrence Ray Sentenced For Years-Long Predatory Crimes Against Students At Sarah Lawrence College And Others". justice.gov. U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of New York. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  22. ^ Moynihan, Colin (2023-02-22). "Sex Cult's 'Lieutenant' Gets Over 4 Years in Prison for Abetting Abuse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  23. ^ Hemphill, Jim (June 21, 2024). "For 'Devil on Campus' Director Elisabeth Rohm, Lifetime Was the Perfect Fit for Her Movie About the Sarah Lawrence Cult". IndieWire. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  24. ^ "Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
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