Lawrence Ray, the 60-year old father of a former Sarah Lawrence College student, was arrested and charged with extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes on February 11th. The federal indictment comes after a yearlong investigation that was prompted by the New York Magazine article, “The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence,” published in The Cut in April of 2019. According to news sources, Ray, an ex-convict, moved into on-campus housing with his daughter and her roommates in 2010 and then proceeded to abuse and extort his daughter’s roommates and others for nearly a decade. According to Geoffrey Berman, a New York U.S. attorney, Ray extorted approximately $1 million dollars from his victims by emotionally, physically, and sexually abusing them. Search warrants and subpoenas have resulted in the recovery of electronic devices and email and financial records that further illustrate the extent of Ray’s crimes. Despite the evidence against him, Ray, who is being represented by the public defender’s office, plead not guilty at his arraignment. The college stated that they also investigated the allegations made in the article, but that their internal investigation did not substantiate any of the claims.
Instructors, click on the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom.
The deck contains a writing prompt, a debate question, as well as other assessment questions.
Video
Assessment
- Writing: What prompted federal prosecutors to investigate Lawrence Ray?
- Debate: The administrators at Sarah Lawrence College should have done a better job at investigating the claims made in the magazine article.
- Poll: Do you believe that this case, which has received national attention, should prompt colleges and universities to review their campus housing policies, especially those pertaining to overnight guests?
- Short Answer: What crimes was Lawrence Ray indicted on?
Featured Image: iStockphoto.com/Mod Quaint