That is until he surfaced as the mastermind of a sex cult that preyed on students from Sarah Lawrence College — Larry Ray, who was born Lawrence Grecco. Over the course of almost a decade, his criminal pursuits amount to a harrowing situation of manipulation, maltreatment and profit at the cost of others that left imprints on their lives.
Table of Contents
Profile Summary
| Full Name | Lawrence “Larry” Grecco (commonly known as Larry Ray) |
| Date of Birth (DOB) | March 29, 1960 |
| Age | 64 years old. |
| Notoriety | Leader of the Sarah Lawrence sex cult |
| Criminal Activities | Sex trafficking, extortion, racketeering conspiracy, forced labor |
| Conviction Date | January 2023 |
| Prison Sentence | 60 years in prison |
| Release Date | Scheduled for March 29, 2071 |
| Location of Crimes | Sarah Lawrence College, New York |
| Method of Manipulation | Psychological and physical abuse, coercion, extortion, manipulation of college students |
| Estimated Financial Gain | Approximately $1 million extorted from at least five victims |
| Victims | College students, primarily his daughter Talia Ray’s friends and classmates |
| Daughter | Talia Ray, central figure in facilitating his access to Sarah Lawrence students |
| Other Notable Figures | Isabella Pollok (alleged victim), Claudia Drury (victim), Teresa Ray (ex-wife) |
| Notable Connections | Bernard Kerik (former NYC police commissioner) |
| Media Portrayals | Lifetime movie Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story (2024) |
| Current Status | Serving his sentence at U.S. Penitentiary McCreary in Pine Knot, Kentucky |
| Cultural Impact | Sparked discussions on vulnerability to manipulation, especially among intelligent individuals, and how trust can be exploited in seemingly safe environments (e.g., colleges) |
This includes criminal activities and conviction
Larry Ray was found guilty of multiple counts, including extortion and racketeering conspiracy, as well as sex trafficking in January 2023. For his misdeeds, he was given a 60 year prison sentence. The jury found that Ray began manipulating in earnest since moving in with his daughter Talia Ray, in her dormitory on 2010 after being released from prison where he served two years for securities fraud. He befriended his daughter’s friends and even her schoolmates, helping them out with attractive words of guidance and emotional support.
However, it was not long before his true circumstances revealed themselves and(actions) With a combination of physical and psychological force, Ray forced these people into prostitution. Playing upon trust, and vulnerability, the criminal exploited his victims; all five of whom each believed he was a friend on their side, with access to substantial funds, using deception to extract about $1 million in total through threats of violence and manipulation. Ray was exceptionally cruel,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams
Background and Early Life
Larry Ray has a complex backstory. He had lived a life that predated his criminal activities at Sarah Lawrence, also being a former bar and nightclub owner in New Jersey from the 1980s. Ray also kept company with characters like ex-New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik. But his private life was equally turbulent. He also filed for divorce from his wife, Teresa Ray, in a highly publicized case involving allegations of spousal abuse and continued disputes over child custody.
It appears that so much of this earlier part of Ray’s life restaurants the manipulative side and drug or theft activity he had shown himself cruel capable of. They were controlled, manipulated relationships which made him so effective at preying on his daughters college friends.
Talia Ray, Larry Ray’s Daughter
At Sarah Lawrence, Talia Ray helped Larry Ray get his foot in the door. Talia let him live in her dorm room after he was released from prison in 2010 — a decision that would impact the lives of everyone who knew your friendsessentially forever. A lot of these young students went to Ray, believing the narrative that he would help them.
What I know now is that her childhood was filled with manipulation too. Believed her father when he claimed their family home had been contaminated Image: Today Tonight Charged against her mum that later discredited Her father manipulated her into thinking that she was taking care of him by letting him be a part of her college life, but she and her friends were inexorably pulled back into his depraved world.
Although Talia was named as a co-conspirator in the investigations, she was never charged legally. She has lived as an extremely private person since, residing in North Carolina where she works as a paralegal. But the emotional cost of her father’s crimes and the effect on relationships has been consequential.
The Broad Influence of Larry Ray’s Crimes
The pathology of Larry Ray re-opened an important narrative in the public consciousness: just how easily intelligent, accomplished people can be manipulated and exploited. The Sarah Lawrence scandal, meanwhile, has underlined that abuse can happen anywhere — including seemingly safe spaces like a college dormitory. It provides a glimpse into how predators will earn trust before they move in for what they really want, and it shows some over-the-top dynamics of Ray manipulating his way through business dealings.
Ray used those tactics to terrifying effect; a reminder that we need to get better at noticing coercive control in many relationships, experts said.
Friday 12 May Media Portrayal: “Devil on Campus”
Lifetime made the horrifying saga of Larry Ray into something even more chilling and gripping on screen bringing it to the small screens with their movie Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story in 2024. Starring Billy Zane as Ray, the film examines his psychological grooming of Sarah Lawrence students. Elisabeth Rohm’s film, which smartly sidelines the nuts and bolts of Ray’s violent incidents in favour of his psychological ones, serves as a cautionary reminder that it takes little more than game — even from an unintelligent young man — to trap desperate, broke, freakishly superstitious souls with their attraction to spirituality into his realm.
The film manages to tap into Rays sociopathic behavior while addressing the vulnerabilities of kids in what should be a safe educational environment. In her characterisation of Ray, Zane’s focus on his emotional manipulation reveals how monsters like him are able to get away with exploiting trust between peers.
Larry Ray’s Current Status
Larry Ray is now serving a 60-year prison sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary in McCreary County, Kentucky. He will spend at least 50 years in prison and be eligible for parole on March 29, 2071, when he is more than a century old. He is locked away in the slammer yet the impact of his armed robberies lives on in those he terrorised and their loved ones. Sarah Lawrence serves as an extreme, yet telling example of the unchecked abuse and exploitation that can cultivate even in the most seemingly secure and nurturing environments.
Conclusion
The control and coercion Larry Ray imposed on Sarah Lawrence students served as a stark reminder that trust and authority have a dark underbelly, exploitation does not discriminate. It is a cautionary tale that has reverberated through popular culture, filling conversations with questions of not only what constitutes manipulation and coercion — but also pressing the nation to confront its views on how willingly we can be complicit in evil when it occurs around us. And illuminating where holes can form within even some of our most intimate communal bonds, as exemplified by one of his victims saying “FGM college” in sworn testimony were their cherished fatherlands.
Social Accounts
FAQs-
What happened with Larry Ray?
Larry Ray, a former convict, was convicted of sex trafficking, extortion, and forced labor after manipulating and abusing students at Sarah Lawrence College for nearly a decade. In January 2023, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison for his crimes, which included coercing victims into prostitution and extorting approximately $1 million from them. Ray is currently incarcerated and is scheduled for release in 2071.
What did Larry Ray do for a living?
Larry Ray primarily engaged in manipulative and abusive activities, exploiting students at Sarah Lawrence College. He posed as a father figure, conducted coercive “therapy” sessions, and ultimately coerced victims into sex trafficking and extortion, extorting about $1 million from them over nearly a decade. Prior to this, he had a criminal history that included securities fraud.
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