Williams thanked the victims who spoke in court, noting that the verdict would not have been possible without their testimony. “We are in awe for their bravery in the face of incredible trauma,” he added. CNN contacted Ray’s lawyer, Marne Lenox, for comment.
Blackmail conspiracy Conspiracy to extort money Blackmail Sex trafficking Obtaining forced labor Forced labor trafficking Conspiracy to obtain forced labor Violation of the law on travel Four charges for tax evasion Money laundering
Conviction for sexual trafficking is accompanied by a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. For many years, Ray manipulated and sexually and psychologically abused a group of students and other victims, according to the Department of Justice. He extorted payments from the victims after forcing them to make false confessions to cause damage to him, his family and associates, according to the indictment. The victims ran out of their parents’ savings, opened credit lines and sold real estate to pay Ray. He also directed the victims to do unpaid work and earn money for him through prostitution. Ray forced a woman into commercial sex to pay compensation to Ray – money he never owed, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ray took care of her when she was a student and collected sex photos and other information to force her to commit more commercial sex acts, the office said. In one case of Ray’s alleged barbarity, he tied the woman to a chair, put a plastic bag over her head and nearly strangled her, according to the indictment. He raised millions of dollars in forced prostitution proceeds from this victim, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said in 2020 that the investigation was prompted by an April 2019 magazine article entitled “The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence,” published in The Cut magazine in New York. The Private Liberal Arts College has about 1,700 students and is located in Yonkers, New York. CNN’s Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
