Mar 15, 2022

Sarah Lawrence ‘sex cult’ leader made victims wear diapers as punishment: witness

Ben Feuerherd
NY Post
March 14, 2022

Accused Sarah Lawrence sex cult leader Larry Ray once made two of his victims wear diapers while accusing them of acting like children, according to disturbing testimony Monday.

Santos Rosario revealed the sick abuse under questioning by Assistant US Attorney Lindsey Keenan at Ray’s racketeering trial in Manhattan federal court.

Keenan asked Rosario if he recalled an incident involving diapers just before he tried to escape from Ray’s tyrannical control in 2014.

“I don’t remember the context or what we were being blamed for this time. But Larry said that me and my sister were supposedly acting like children and he had Isabella put diapers on us,” Rosario responded, referring to Ray’s alleged co-conspirator, Isabella Pollok.

Rosario and his two sisters, Felicia and Yalitza, fell under Ray’s control after he was introduced to him in 2010 by Ray’s daughter, Talia, whom he was dating at the time.

Prosecutors allege Ray extorted money from the Rosario siblings and other college-age kids after he moved into Talia’s on-campus dorm at Sarah Lawrence College in the fall of 2010.

Ray berated Rosario, beat him with a hammer and accused him of poisoning him and damaging his property as part of his extortion scheme, Rosario testified last week

Ray’s crimes also included forcing one of the students, Claudia Drury, into prostitution, according to prosecutors. Ray allegedly collected some $2 million in profits by sex trafficking Drury.

On Monday, Rosario told jurors that he would occasionally go with Ray to hotels where Drury was working as a prostitute to collect money from her.

On one occasion, Ray allegedly forced Drury to perform a sex act on Rosario in one of the hotel rooms, according to testimony.

“He told Claudia to give me a b—job and for me to take off my pants,” Rosario said, adding that Ray was “right next to me” when it happened.

Rosario said he felt “like I didn’t have control of my life anymore” after the experience.

The 30-year-old, who was the first alleged victim to testify at the trial, said he ran away from Ray in 2014 after he sent him and his sister to a Manhattan Apple Store.

Rosario made contact with Ray four years later after a New York Magazine reporter contacted him about a story he was writing about the accused sadist.

After he met Ray again, Rosario began giving money to his sister Felicia, who was still under control of the alleged cult leader.

“He said that she was sick because I poisoned her,” Rosario said of his sister.

Ray is charged in a 17-count indictment on counts including racketeering, sex trafficking and conspiracy. He faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted on all counts.

No comments: