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Sarah Lawrence Cult Leader Convicted of Trafficking and Extortion
[NYTIMES] For a decade, Lawrence V. Ray exerted near-total control over a group of young people he met after moving into a dormitory at Sarah Lawrence College, prosecutors said. He presented himself as a mentor, isolating students from their parents, pressuring them into degrading acts and extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from them.Some remained loyal, even after a story in New York magazine in 2019 detailed a host of abuses ascribed to Mr. Ray. But during a nearly monthlong trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan, four former followers provided detailed testimony about how he indoctrinated and exploited them. On Wednesday, three of those witnesses watched from the gallery as the jury forewoman announced that Mr. Ray had been found guilty of all 15 federal counts, including extortion, sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Mr. Ray, 62, wearing a blue shirt and dark-colored dress pants, was impassive as the verdict was announced. Afterward, defense lawyers declined to comment. Damian Williams, the United States attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement that the verdict was just and praised those who testified, saying, "We are in awe of their bravery in the face of incredible trauma." Related: Sarah Lawrence College: 2022-03-23 NYC's elite are in a tizzy after Justice Department 'inadvertently' publishes list of 121 'clients' - including lawyers, businessmen, and socialites - who solicited Sarah Lawrence 'sex cult victim' who was forced into prostitution Sarah Lawrence College: 2017-08-03 College Protesters Demand Peers Pay Them for 'Emotional Labor' Sarah Lawrence College: 2011-08-14 Rahm - Mayor of Chicago and Lover of Dance Posted by: Fred 2022-04-07 |
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