Larry Ray, who prosecutors say led a sex cult of students at Sarah Lawrence College, has been found guilty on all charges.
A jury delivered the verdict on Wednesday afternoon, convicting Ray of extortion, racketeering, sex trafficking, and several other crimes. The 62-year-old will be sentenced on 16 September, when he could face up to life in prison.
Prosecutors say Ray moved into his daughter’s dorm at the New York college in 2010, and grew his dominion over the next decade. Drawing young students into his orbit, he manipulated, blackmailed, and exploited them, often through terrifying acts of cruelty.
“He used the threatening displays of violence both to create fear and maintain control over his victims,” Assistant US Attorney Mollie Bracewell told the jury. “His victims would be too terrified to say no to his demands.”
Over the course of the trial, jurors heard horrifying stories from some of Ray’s former followers. One young woman said he choked her with a series of plastic bags. A young man said he beat him with a hammer and held a knife to his genitals.
Through it all, Ray reaped huge profits from his victims. Prosecutors say he forced one subject into prostitution for five years, bringing him $2.5m of her earnings. Another follower, brainwashed and terrorized, said he stole $10,000 from his mother to give to Ray. At the time, he told the jury, he believed he owed Ray ten times that amount.
“When his victims were completely subdued, when they were under his control, he committed crimes to get them to pay – extortion, forced labor, sex trafficking, obstruction of justice, financial crimes,” Ms Bracewell explained.
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