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

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

Ray, 60, ended up being charged within an indictment with extortion, intercourse trafficking, forced labor trafficking, cash laundering, and much more.

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

Ray allegedly ensnared lots of their victims as they had been teens, Berman stated, along with his so-called initial victims were their daughter’s college roommates.

He moved into on-campus housing along with his child along with her roommates during their year that is sophomore in 2010 and began “therapy” sessions with a few roommates by which he introduced himself being a daddy figure whom could solve their emotional issues, the indictment reported.

During the summer 2011, many of the roommates lived with Ray at their Manhattan apartment, where he worked to achieve their trust and alienate them from their parents, the indictment stated.

Berman stated Ray allegedly utilized “physical, emotional, and intimate punishment” in order to make their victims confess to invented wrongdoing.

Then he allegedly compelled them to produce significant re payments to him and directed them to have cash for him by draining their parents’ savings, opening lines of credit, soliciting efforts from acquaintances, attempting to sell real-estate ownership, and doing forced work as well as prostitution, Berman stated.

“Over nearly 10 years, Ray coerced and extorted almost $1 million in re re re payments from five victims that are different” Berman said.

In a single specific example, he presumably utilized fear, violence, and coercion to force one victim to take bi male cuckold part in commercial intercourse functions to settle debts she didn’t really owe, Berman stated. That target presumably had been forced to act as a prostitute for over four years, and Ray presumably obtained significantly more than $500,000 from her, Berman stated.

Berman stated Ray allegedly “sexually groomed” that target beginning when she ended up being a university student, gathering intimately explicit pictures along with other information that is personal he then utilized to coerce her into doing commercial sex acts.

He additionally utilized physical physical violence. Within one example, he tied the lady up to a seat, put a case over her head, and almost suffocated her, prosecutors stated.

In 2013, Ray forced a few of the victims to complete manual work at a household member’s house in Pinehurst, new york, to settle these fictional debts, the indictment said.

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

Ray had a court that is initial Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan. Their arraignment ended up being planned for afternoon wednesday. CNN reached out to Ray’s general public defender for comment.

Sarah Lawrence university spokeswoman Patricia Pasquale confirmed that Ray was the moms and dad of a student that is former.

“The charges included in the indictment are severe, wide-ranging, unsettling, and upsetting. As always, the security and wellbeing of y our pupils and alumni is a concern for the university, ” Pasquale said. “In April 2019, ny Magazine published a variety of accusations about it previous moms and dad. The University undertook an inside research concerning the certain activities alleged in this article to own taken place on our campus last year; the research would not substantiate those particular claims. During those times”

The indictment failed to information which, if any, for the alleged activity that is criminal on campus.

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