| Larry Ray Detained On
Consent on Sexual Exploitation and Forced
Labor Charges in SDNY
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
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SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Feb 11 – When Larry Ray was
presented in Magistrates Court
on charges of sexual
exploitation, prostitution,
forced labor and money
laundering, he was wearing a
plaid shirt and had a Federal
Defender, if only for the day.
It was seven hours after US
Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman
had held a press conference
about the case, and 12 hours
after his arrest. Still, a
mixture of journalists and
students waited in the
Magistrates Court of the U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York,
so often empty, waiting for
the pre-sentencing report to
be ready. In the
end, the report would not
matter: Ray was detained on
consent, pending his
arraignment on February 12.
Before
Federal Defender Marni Lenox
indicated consent, rare for
her, Assistant US Attorney
Danielle Sassoon said the
government was seeking
consent, not surprising.
The charges
are serious and had some in
the court shaking their heads:
"extortion, sex trafficking,
and forced labor. As
alleged in the indictment, RAY
used physical and
psychological threats and
coercion to indoctrinate and
exploit a group of college
students in Westchester County
as well as other
victims. RAY extorted
approximately $1 million from
at least five victims; forced
certain victims to perform
unpaid labor; and caused,
through force, fraud, and
coercion, at least one victim
to engage in commercial sex
acts. He laundered the
proceeds of his crimes through
an internet domain
business. RAY committed
these offenses in locations
including Westchester County,
New York, and New York, New
York, as well as Pinehurst,
North Carolina."
The case has been
assigned to new SDNY Judge
Lewis J. Liman; Inner City
Press will follow it. It is US
v. Ray, 20-cr-110 (Liman /
Lehrburger).
***
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