Inside Lawrence ‘Larry’ Ray’s Cult at Sarah Lawrence College and Where He Is in 2023
In 2010, Lawrence “Larry” Ray moved in with his daughter and her friends at Sarah Lawrence College. More than 10 years later, he has been sentenced to 60 years in prison. Hulu‘s true crime series Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence, which premieres on Thursday, Feb. 9, details “Larry” Ray’s crimes and his victims’ stories.
‘Stolen Youth’ details Lawrence ‘Larry’ Ray’s sex crimes
Lawrence “Larry” Ray became a household name when The Cut published “The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence” in April 2019. Now, Hulu’s series Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence details the victims’ stories.
The three-episode docuseries excerpts striking first-hand interviews with conman Ray’s victims, incorporating personal audio tapes and videos to tell the story of his grim 10-year influence over a group of friends. Stolen Youth covers the cult’s origins in 2010 on the Sarah Lawrence campus until its recent demise when the last members find their paths to survival.
Larry Ray’s story begins before Sarah Lawrence College
Before becoming known for his heinous crimes, Ray portrayed himself as a former Marine. According to New York Magazine, he only served 19 days with the Air Force in 1981. Still, the persona he embodied impressed many people in politics and the world of business including former New York City police commissioner Bernie Kerik.
Ray’s friendship with Kerik ended in 2003 after he was convicted of securities fraud and sentenced to five years of probation, which he violated and served time for in 2007. Later, when Kerik was convicted of tax fraud, ethics violations, and criminal false statements, Ray became a witness in the case (via New York Times). Ray’s jilted relationship with Kerik later became the basis of his manipulation strategy with the students at Sarah Lawrence College.
Who were his victims?
Ray’s victims include his daughter Talia and her college friends Daniel Barban Levin, Claudia Drury, and siblings Santos Rosario, Felicia Rosario, and Yalitza Rosario. The conman moved in with his daughter and her friends at Sarah Lawrence College In 2010. Initially, Ray’s presence was a welcome one — he would cook for the students and conduct “therapy sessions” with them.
However, this was Ray’s way of grooming and eventually abusing the students, including alienating them from their parents. Eventually, Ray convinced his victims that they had connections to Kerik and were in some way trying to hurt Ray. He also convinced his victims that their parents and loved ones had been poisoning them with mercury. Neither was true, but Ray’s brain-washing and grooming strategies had these students convinced.
Eventually, Ray moved his victims into a one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 2011. The apartment did not belong to him.
Where is Larry Ray in 2023?
Ray was arrested in 2020 and went on federal trial for sex trafficking, extortion, conspiracy, and other crimes on Mar. 8, 2022. He was convicted on all counts on Apr. 6, 2022 and sentenced to 60 years in prison on Jan. 20, 2023.
“Having gained control of their minds and bodies, he forced them to do his bidding,” Judge Lewis Liman said (via ABC News). “He sought to take every bit of light from his victims’ lives.”
Hear more about the Sarah Lawrence sex cult in Hulu’s true crime docuseries Stolen Youth. All three episodes drop on Feb. 9, 2023.
