March 16, 2022 4:55pm. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors laid out a very disturbing case against Lawrence Ray, 60, who was arrested earlier in the morning at his home in Piscataway, N.J., CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas reported. Since today is also a holiday, they have a small party.[12]. The university said it had investigated the allegations raised in the The Cut article but "did not substantiate those specific claims". Lars Oostveen was born on 6 September 1976 in Heiloo, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. This was not a criminal enterprise. Disturbing video, filmed by Ray himself or by a woman described as his alleged accomplice, Isabella Pollok, who has pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately, was played in court. Each of Rays alleged victims have testified that their relationship with him started from a place of trust and advanced to romance and then into years of violent sexual abuse. A father accused of running a twisted sex cult and $1m extortion scheme out of his daughters college dorm has been found guilty of all charges. . Isabella Pollaks aunt said Ray contacted their family as the college co-ed was set to go home for winter break. Lawrence Ray: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Lawrence Ray has been charged with engaging in sex trafficking, extortion, and forced labor. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the film itself is full of some of . According to Joni Johnston, a clinical forensic psychologist, the case not only highlights the vulnerability of young women at college, but speaks to institutional and parental failure to recognize psychological manipulation and enmeshment. Instead of distancing himself, he kept listening to me. Lawrence Ray, 60, is accused of moving into his daughter's residence at Sarah Lawrence College in 2010, befriending her classmates and then becoming a patriarchal figure who exerted a. Youre wasting my time. Ray.". This article was originally published on 8 March and has been updated. A jury has begun deliberating in the trial of Lawrence Ray, an ex-convict accused of moving into his daughter's dorm at Sarah Lawrence College and manipulating her friends into a cult-like . Segn la fiscala, logr sacar a los estudiantes de. She was helpless. Friends remember her personality gradually changing. According to an indictment unsealed Tuesday, Lawrence Ray is charged with nine counts that include extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor and money laundering in connection to his alleged crimes against students at the college in Westchester County. Ray rapidly ingratiated himself with Talias seven dormmates. He allegedly demanded confessions, using tactics including sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation and physical violence. As always the safety and well-being of our students and alumni is a priority for the College., The college said that when the New York magazine article came out, it undertook an internal investigation regarding the specific activities alleged in the article to have occurred on our campus in 2011; the investigation did not substantiate those claims., The statement said, We have not been contacted by the Southern District of New York, but will of course cooperate in their investigation to the full extent of the law if invited to do so,. Lawrence Ray, 59, is accused by former followers of creating a cult after moving into his daughter's dorm room at Sarah Lawrence College. CON BECAME NXIVM-LIKE CULT LEADER AT SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE: REPORT - Lawrence Ray, 59, reportedly manipulated college kids, controlling every aspect of their lives and convincing them to give him money and sex.https://t.co/NmDMoKLwXo. Ray had recently been released from prison for his involvement in the securities-fraud scheme and he set himself up as a father-figure among the students, brandishing impressive credentials, often part true and part false. All of the episodes were written by Louise Clover. At one point, she said, he stopped to have burgers and fries. The publication said his daughter described him to friends as a "truth-teller" who had been unjustly imprisoned. Daniel Jones was a big part of New York's 31-24 upset of Minnesota. It was in production from 2002 to 2004, and is mainly marketed to the instructional television market for middle school and high school language classes. As this makes Hector sweat, he goes to take a shower. "The charges contained in the indictment are serious, wide-ranging, disturbing and upsetting," it added in a statement. Rays group has been likened to NXIVM, the self-help organization that allegedly has brainwashed its members and turned young women into sex slaves. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en consultant vos paramtres de vie prive. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. Extra (stylized as "extr@") is a language education television program franchise that was scripted in the format of a Friends-esque sitcom. Ray, who actually participated in the article, was arrested in February the following year. Ray is charged in a 17-count indictment for allegedly forcing a group of young men and women to perform unpaid labor, extorting money from them and forcing one of them into prostitution for more than a year. He was arrested on Tuesday in the state of New Jersey. The charges contained in the indictment are serious, wide-ranging, disturbing, and upsetting, the statement said. He did all of our cleaning and definitely took on the dad role in the house, said one former roommate who wished only to be identified as Juli Anna. Within hours, Keenan said, the woman whom Ray had forced into prostitution had gone back to meeting johns. She receives a letter from her former pen pal Hector from Argentina (Sam from America) announcing his visit. The techniques of manipulation, control, coercion, abuse isolation and humiliation are so similar to more formal cults where one person makes all the rules, Johnston says. Lawrence Ray (II) Actor IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Lawrence Ray is known for Unter uns (1994), Extr@ (2002) and Reel Race (2004). It can be tremendously unfair to victims, she said. At least one woman was forced into prostitution and Ray collected over $500,000 from her, prosecutors said. Ray then exploited the information to demean and humiliate victims through interrogations, where victims confessed their supposed wrongdoings as he seized their journals and personal devices, prosecutors wrote. He allegedly directed the students to drain money from their parents savings accounts and forced some of them into unpaid labour at a family members property in North Carolina. Bridget (Sacha, Sascha, Lola) shares a flat in London (Paris, Berlin, Barcelona) with her friend Annie (Anna, Ana). I brought a vial of each, each time, she confessed. When Hector comes out of the shower dressed only in a towel, they are fascinated by his body and are speechless. But Rays schemes allegedly went even further than New York. In 2005, UPI reported that Ray and a friend were being investigated for paying $10,000 towards wedding at the Chanticler catering hall, lavished the newlyweds with $7,000 in wedding gifts and added another $4,000 in baby gifts from when Keriks daughter was born. Ray, 62, faces life in prison when he is sentenced by Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Liman in September. But as alleged, Lawrence Ray exploited that vulnerable time in his victims lives through a course of conduct that shocks the conscience, Mr Berman said. It said it launched an internal investigation after the New York magazine story was published, which it said "did not substantiate those specific claims". We are in awe of their bravery in the face of incredible trauma. The indictment also says Ray took and kept explicit photographs of some of the victims and sometimes documented their false confessions, including on video. Newly released videos show accused Sarah Lawrence sex cult leader Larry Ray allegedly abusing two of his victims including body-slamming one of them as she . He did all of our cleaning and definitely took on the dad role in the house in a big way, one of the eight roommates told The Cut. Drury also has created a website where she maintains her guilt. In 2017, Ray devotee Claudia Drury created a disturbing video where she confessed to working with three others in their group to poison Ray, his daughter Talia and Isabella Pollak at the urging of her mother. Prosecutors say the amount of money Larry Ray took in from sexual trysts a former Sarah Lawrence student earned by prostitution more than tripled to $1.7 million in two years. set designer (unknown episodes) Here's Why, Finally, There's Snow In the Forecast! The boyfriend recalled Ray saying, Youre acting like Im going to be sleeping with her. They have a neighbor who fancies himself, and one of the women. Extr@ is a language-learning sitcom broadcast in many countries. A father accused of running a twisted sex cult and $1m extortion scheme out of his daughter's college dorm is gearing up for his day in court. She told me to kill you, Drury said to Ray, who can be heard off-camera questioning her. Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said: "College is supposed to be a time of self-discovery and new-found independence. He would hit me. It's much more like FRIENDS but still perfect for language learning! Living with Bridget/Sacha/Sascha/Lola is roommate Anna/Annie/Ana. (1 episode, 2002) Series Costume Design by Rebecca Gore . If convicted, Ray faces up to a life sentence. That was the first time in my life that anyone had listened to me. Drury continued by saying how devoted Larry was to their community. Larry always made it clear: he would never abandon any of us because of what other people said or thought. He often did the cooking and cleaning. The horrific scene allegedly happened in a New York City hotel room in 2018, Keenan said. I didnt want to go back home, and this was my alternative, one victim said. I dont think anyone really questioned it because it was such a huge part of Talias life, said Daniel, one of the Slonim 9 roommates https://t.co/iz1ZtdBqQ2 pic.twitter.com/1aTQjU5hKr, Talia came to her fathers defense, saying hed been jailed due to crooked officials trying to bring him down for exposing government corruption. Isabella Pollok has been charged with racketeering conspiracy, extortion conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy and money laundering after prosecutors said she conspired with Lawrence Ray, the . Over time, the group of students became more entangled in Rays web. Sh See production, box office & company info. Informations sur votre appareil et sur votre connexion Internet, y compris votre adresseIP, Navigation et recherche lors de lutilisation des sites Web et applications Yahoo. The series ended with Sam and Annie's wedding being canceled, ending with a cliff-hanger; however, the English version had 17 more episodes which provides a better understanding of the character, continuing with Nico and Sacha beginning to date and facing problems, and Sam and Annie wanting to break up. Berman said, The charges were announced by Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, who said Ray was arrested Tuesday in New Jersey. You let this happen to her, the aunt recalled he said to Pollaks mother. When Ray first moved into the groups student housing he was sleeping on an air mattress in daughter Talias room, but eventually wound up sleeping in the room of her best friend, 19-year-old Isabella Pollok. Unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to scream for help. After Hector confesses to him that he is looking for true friends, they both decide not to tell the girls about it. He also encourages Hector to prove his fitness on Bridget's exercise bike, even though he knows that she doesn't tolerate strangers on it. He convinced them they were indebted to him, subjecting them for hours to grueling interrogations and deprived them of food and sleep, he said. Before these accusations, Ray was well known in New York and pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2001 after being indicted with 18 others in a $41 million securities fraud scheme. In the nearly 10 years that followed, Ray exploited and abused young women and men emotionally, physically, and sexually for his own financial gain US District Attorney Geoffrey Berman said upon his arrest. The jury later heard Rosario describe funneling money from Ray to his daughter Talia, who was then working for a local political candidate. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. Ray then took his creation and began to twist it around Levins penis and testicles until it caused tremendous pain and cut off circulation. You will hear some of these stories because Larry recorded them. But Rays defense team claim prosecutors case against him is more nuanced than presented in the indictment against the 62-year-old former Wall Street stock trader. (unknown episodes) Series Production Management Pippa White . Prosecutors described his techniques, in court filings, saying he first earned the trust of victims, getting them to divulge private details that made them highly vulnerable, such as information about their mental health, their family discord, their sexual confusion and their deepest insecurities. He once screened Carl Sagans Cosmos in the dorm rooms common area and then held a lecture about the nature of the universe. He also enjoyed talking with the students about the philosophy Quest for Potential or Q4P that one of his friends had developed. Thanks for contacting us. This is what the girls, who are now returning home, discover. Court records include an email she allegedly sent to him in 2013 which read: What you have done with my friends is the most amazing and beautiful thing I have ever seen.. He has pleaded not guilty to. Rays lawyers have indicated that they will present the jury with evidence meant to shed light on his mindset during the years of his alleged abuse, including his claim that the Slonim Woods housemates tried to poison him. The success and innovation of the series is that it combines real learning with a genuinely entertaining, sophisticated and sometimes risqu sitcom format that appeals to the 'Friends' generation. The convicted sex trafficker stood and faced the jury, appearing emotionless as the. The episode descriptions are based on the English version. Read about our approach to external linking. He recorded their humiliations, including through audio and video recordings" in which Ray verbally and physically abused them, prosecutors said. i disagree ngl he kind of iss. Those close to Drury became alarmed when she said she might be schizophrenic, a diagnosis Ray wasnt unqualified to give. Ray, seen with his daughter Talia, is charged with counts including racketeering, sex trafficking and. Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. I became a prostitute, Drury said during testimony. Youtube In nine months Larry was arrested 23 times and released every time.. To repay their supposed debts to Ray, the victims resorted to measures such as draining parents savings accounts, opening lines of credit and earning money through prostitution. Hector tells Nick that he has never had a girlfriend. Annie is dominated by Bridget in her search for a partner. They suggest to Nick (Nico, Pablo), a neighbor who now appears, that he should teach Hector English (French, German, Spanish) lessons while they go grocery shopping. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Defense lawyers say some materials prosecutors have turned over include exculpatory audio and video of alleged victims confessing to harming Mr. In the process, Nick practices with Hector how to give compliments. Ray believed the tales, Glashausser claimed, and documented them in his video recordings of the students, which the defense plans to use as evidence of his innocence. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Lawrence Ray -- the federal informant whose information helped lead to the arrest of former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik -- was arrested by the FBI on sex trafficking charges, according to the . Rays lawyers maintained he was victimized by former friends who fabricated their stories. He alienated several of them from their parents, persuading some to move into a Manhattan apartment and convincing them that they were "broken" and needed his help. Sleazy and sly neighbor Nick/Nico/Nic/Pablo lives across the hallway. Ray, a former federal informant and associate of Bernie Kerik, has been hit with charges tied to a cult Ray allegedly led at Sarah Lawrence college. College is supposed to be a time of self-discovery and new-found independence. Ray is a 62-year-old Brooklyn native accused of manipulating, abusing, and sex-trafficking his daughter's former friends and roommates at Sarah Lawrence College. "Sex for grades": Undercover in West African universities, What we learned from the Nxivm sex cult trial, When sexual abuse was called seduction: France faces past, Ukraine interior ministry leadership killed in crash, 'I saw a burning helicopter circling': 16 killed in Ukraine crash, Italian held in EU bribery probe agrees to tell all. It is also a story that has involved in some of New Yorks biggest and most bold-faced names. Hector's/Sam's efforts to get to grips with the language provide the dynamic for the series' language learning content. Series Directed by Series Writing Credits Series Cast Series Produced by Series Production Design by David Bevin . We've received your submission. He is an actor, known for The Book Group (2002), Lotte (2006) and Castingx (2005). Larry Ray is a predator. He punched me in the face. Legal documents show that Larry Ray, daughter Talia, Isabella and others were still living together in 2017. The Cut has published a disturbing investigation of Lawrence "Larry" Ray, 59, a former New York City entrepreneur who is accused of starting a bizarre mini-cult of college students from Sarah. Updated. He became an FBI informant, duping the agency with promises of informing on the mafia in what would turn out to be a cover for his own involvement in mafia-related stock manipulations. The money she earned, which eventually totaled some $2 million, was passed up to Ray and used to fund his criminal operation, Keenan said. But thats not necessarily true, she added. They have a tendency to disbelieve, because its so painful to accept the reality. It makes me angry. Over the course of 10 years, Ray extorted more than $2 million from his victims while he also physically abused them at times in his pursuit of his goals, the feds allege. He held a knife to my genitals, said Rosario, who dated Rays daughter, Talia. The students eventually created their own stories, some of which included tales of poisoning Ray at the behest of Kerik, the former NYPD commissioner who had fallen out with his former friend. We used to go, wow, how did 900 people die as a result of one man [as at Jonestown in 1978]? Bridget and Annie now reveal themselves and think that the "millionaires" could pay for the withered plant and the underwear. Prosecutors said Ray told pretrial services employees after his arrest that one woman was his common-law wife and the other was like a daughter he had assumed guardianship over., Yet, prosecutors said, Ray has now told his father to tell the supposed daughter that he would marry her and to make sure she knows that.. Ray subjected his victims to almost unspeakable abuse, Mr Berman said. Then they go to the cybercafe to invite the boys on a date with two dancers. Officials say he received $200,000 from some of the victims parents bank accounts and $500,000 from forcing a female victim into prostitution. Each of the three buys a piece for Hector. The defendants message was clear: He told her to behave. The series is particularly suitable for adolescents and young adults who can relate to the contextual setting and implied meanings in the screenplay. The students who lived in the two-storey brick building Slonim Woods 9, most of whom were sophomores, described how they were originally unfazed when their housemate asked if her father could stay with them for a bit after getting out of jail, where he served time related to a child custody dispute. I went to McDonalds drive-thru for lunch but left with bags of cash instead, Biden, Harris photo-op with Warriors team takes awkward turn: 'I'm not doing that', Prince Harry roasted at Critics Choice Awards 2023, The holiday hubbub is taking over Midtown NYC and beyond, Why NYC's new vice economy weed, casinos might be doomed, Listen to chilling 911 call ahead of Lisa Marie Presleys cardiac arrest, Marvin Gaye IIIs wife files restraining order after domestic violence arrest, Kanye Wests new wife Bianca Censori wasnt a fan of his music, Nick Sirianni's update on the status of Eagles' star QB Jalen Hurts, Wife of 'Boy Meets World' star William Daniels details 'painful' 'open marriage'. Read about our approach to external linking. Last week prosecutors told Judge Lewis Liman that Ray laundered money through his daughters links to North Carolinas Democratic party. The 62-year-old, who has been incarcerated since his early 2020 arrest, did not testify. He was just a sick dude.. The court heard how one graduate, Claudia Drury, was forced to prostitute herself to pay the ex-convict Ray $2.5m in compensation for what prosecutors call their imagined crimes against him. Last week Ray was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He allegedly tied one victim to a chair and placed a plastic bag over her head, almost suffocating her. He towered over her as she was handcuffed to that chair, gasping, Keenan said in opening statements. Ray solicited false confessions some of them recorded from at least six victims and coerced them into making payments they did not actually owe and could not possibly afford, Mr Berman said. Slectionnez Grer les paramtres pour grer vos prfrences. i like sams peanuts. Drury alleged Ray had tortured her for hours, suffocating her with a plastic bag after binding her to a hotel chair. In 2015, he worked as a bodyguard for Donald Trump. An evil man who did evil things. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. One follower has confessed to trying to poison Ray. Pour en savoir plus sur notre utilisation de vos informations, veuillez consulter notre Politique relative la vie prive et notre Politique en matire de cookies. During testimony, Ray sat impassively. The situation became so unbearable that Talias boyfriend broke up with her in order to get away from Ray. Larry Ray and the Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence. Lawrence Ray is facing sex trafficking charges for allegedly running a cult out of his daughter's college dorm room (US District Attorney) Ray was arrested in February 2020 after his alleged. During the trial, the US attorneys office accidentally released an unredacted list of 121 clients from across all walks of life in New Yorks social elite, including allegedly a retired state judge, a well-known architect, a successful artist and senior financial figures. Conman, 59, set up a cult in his daughters college apartment, divided her group of friends by forcing them to have sex with each other in front of him Scammer and ex-con Lawrence Ray, fleeced students, convinced them that they https://t.co/ycrhYAymif pic.twitter.com/Q4Zll97hoQ, In the evenings, Ray would put one person in the hot seat, demanding that one member of the group answer extremely personal questions. Prosecutors say Lawrence Ray operated. A woman once believed to be a victim in a cult-like group rife with alleged sexual exploitation and extortion is now facing charges in the case herself. Drury shares how she tried to poison him using mercury, cyanide, and arsenic while he was hospitalized in 2014. Its been close to 20 years since I last heard from him, yet his reign of terror continues.. All rights reserved, Unspeakable Abuse': Informant Who Helped Arrest Ex-NYPD Boss Faces Sex Trafficking Charges, Ex-Convict Accused of Abuse, Extorting College Students for Nearly $1M Pleads Not Guilty, JetBlue Flight Bumps Plane at JFK, 2nd Unusual Incident in Days, NYC Smoke Shop Worker Shot Following Dispute With Group Outside Store: Police, You Can't Get McDonald's Along NY State Thruway Anymore. Lawrence Ray is charged with nine counts that include extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor and money laundering in connection to his alleged crimes against students at the college in Westchester County. At the time, Ray, who had been the best man at Keriks wedding, was under indictment in a $40 million stock scam. Pollok, the one-time best friend of Rays daughter, will face a separate trial in Manhattan federal court this summer. The two were so close that Ray served as Keriks best man when he married Hala Matli in 1998. They also disputed claims prosecutors put in a Manhattan federal court letter Friday that Ray is using his father to communicate from jail with two women he's accused of abusing. After gaining the victims trust, he would subject them to interrogation sessions in which he would make false accusations, such as that they deliberately damaged the apartment or Rays property, harmed Ray and his family members, or poisoned Ray and his family members and other associates. Prosecutors allege Ray created a cult-like criminal enterprise after moving into his daughters on-campus dorm in 2011. Announcing Rays arrest in 2020, Mr Berman said the father gained his victims trust and then turned on them, falsely accusing them of harming him by attempting to poison him or to deliberately damage his property. (1/2), Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) February 11, 2020. For decades, Lawrence V. Ray, 60, who was charged by federal law enforcement on Tuesday in a bizarre scheme that included extortion, forced prostitution and forced labor involving a group of. Pour en savoir plus sur notre utilisation de vos informations, veuillez consulter notre Politique relative la vie prive et notre Politique en matire de cookies. Sarah Lawrence College sex cult leader Lawrence Ray beat, berated and extorted his victims in "The Ray Family," even forcing one woman to keep working for him as a prostitute by repeatedly . However, they are pleased that they are dancers and prepare for the date. A man accused of abusing his daughter's university roommates has been arrested in the US and charged with extortion, sex trafficking and forced labour.

Shaun Edwards And Heather Small, List Of Schools That Defrauded Students,