Who Is the Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult Leader? Where Larry Ray Is Now

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Find out how Lawrence "Larry" Ray was able to manipulate and extort his daughter's friends into prostitution.

Lawrence Ray, known as Larry Ray, led the Sarah Lawrence sex cult that traumatized numerous students and others who got involved with him. The Sarah Lawrence cult is the subject of a new documentary, showing where the Sarah Lawrence cult victims are now and how he was able to trap them in sex slavery using extortion and blackmail.

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Who were the Sarah Lawrence cult victims?

There were numerous Sarah Lawrence sex cult victims, not all of whom have spoken publicly about what they experienced. Felicia Rosario, Santos Rosario, Yalitza Rosario, Daniel Levin, and Claudia Drury are among the survivors of Larry Ray's abuse.

What is the Sarah Lawrence cult documentary?

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence is a documentary about the Sarah Lawrence sex cult on Hulu that premieres on Feb. 9, 2023.

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How many episodes is the Sarah Lawrence cult documentary?

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence is a three-part docuseries.

How can I watch the Sarah Lawrence cult documentary?

The Sarah Lawrence cult documentary Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence streams exclusively on Hulu.

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Who is the Sarah Lawrence cult leader?

Lawrence "Larry" Ray was the leader of the Sarah Lawrence sex cult. He manipulated his daughter's roommates and friends into believing he was there to help them improve their lives and become successful, when in reality, he was gaslighting them into believing their lives were in danger and only he could protect them.

One way Larry accomplished this was by saying he worked for the CIA and had contacts in the government, as well as by lying and saying he went to jail for protecting his daughter Talia—and not for securities fraud and child custody offenses, which was the actual truth. Larry Ray often also claimed to be the target of vast government conspiracies.

He used insidious tactics to manipulate his "followers," and New York Magazine reported that a forensic examiner said that Ray “is able to manipulate and control almost any situation in which he finds himself, including a psychological interview with a forensic examiner, no matter how experienced that examiner may be. Mr. Ray is very good at what he does." The examiner's notes added that Larry Ray "can be utterly charming and one can be disarmed by his childlike simplicity and smile. But Mr. Ray is no child; he is a calculating, manipulative, and hostile man.”

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What did Larry Ray Do?

Larry Ray manipulated his daughter's roommates and friends at Sarah Lawrence College to extort them for money. The female victims of the Sarah Lawrence sex cult were forced into prostitution: Larry Ray would order the young women to have sex with him and/or with strangers and record them doing so. He threatened to release the videos on the Internet and to send the videos to their families as a means to extort the women for money.

With other victims, Larry Ray would record them making false confessions of poisoning him or damaging his property, which he would then use to extort them for money. All told, he extorted millions from his victims, including $2.5 million in forced prostitution from Drury alone.

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Who is Larry Ray's daughter?

Larry Ray's daughter is Talia Ray. She was a student at Sarah Lawrence College and was estranged from her mother Teresa following Larry's contentious divorce. New York Magazine reported that Larry and Teresa fought over custody of Talia and her younger sister for years, with Larry falsely accusing Teresa and her relatives of abusing their daughters. Authorities never found evidence of abuse, and Talia's younger sister admitted that Larry instructed her to say she was being abused and coached her on what to tell investigators who questioned her and her sister.

Larry, who was already on probation for a prior securities fraud conviction, refused to allow his daughters to visit with their mother on Thanksgiving 2005. He was then charged with interference with child custody, as well as with bail jumping and contempt of court. He pled guilty in 2010 and spent six months in jail. When he got out, he moved with Talia at her Sarah Lawrence College dorm and began his reign of terror on her roommates and friends.

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Where is Larry Ray now?

In April 2022, Larry Ray was convicted of 15 crimes in relation to the Sarah Lawrence sex cult case, including extortion, sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutor Damian Williams said at the time, "Twelve years ago, Larry Ray moved into his daughter's dorm room at Sarah Lawrence College, and when he got there, he met a group of friends who had their whole lives ahead of them. For the next decade, he used violence, threats, and psychological abuse to try to control and destroy their lives. He exploited them. He terrorized them. He tortured them. Let me be very clear. Larry Ray is a predator. An evil man who did evil things."

In January 2023, Larry Ray was sentenced to 60 years in prison. At 63 years old, that means he will likely die behind bars.

Next, check out the best true crime documentaries.