Lawrence Ray, the defendant charged with abusing and manipulating his daughter’s friends from Sarah Lawrence College, was caught in bed with one of his alleged victims at the time of his arrest, Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon said according to the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.
Ray allegedly abused her, in part by grooming her for sex with others, the prosecutor said. The woman was described as one of his daughter’s ex-roommates. He was her guardian, and said she was like a daughter to him, the prosecution said.
Federal records show that Ray pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking, forced labor, racketeering, and money laundering. Authorities say that he moved into a Sarah Lawrence dorm with his daughter in 2010, and began taking over victims’ lives through a pattern of physical, and emotional abuse. The defendant allegedly took advantage of the students’ psychological challenges, threatened them with legal actions, and used other measures to control their lives and isolate them from their relatives, according to the outlet.
Assistant Federal Defender Marne Lenox called the various public allegations against her client “false and salacious,” and asked for a $100,000 bond. The federal government got their way, however. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Fox denied bail.
The prosecution said Ray made one of the women engage in prostitution, and took about $1.7 million from her over two years.
[Screengrab via CBS New York]