Introducing: Devil In The Dorm

In late 2010, a middle-aged man moved into his daughter's college dorm and created what has all the hallmarks of a cult. Over the decade that followed, he extorted millions of dollars from vulnerable young adults through violence, psychological torture, and forced sex work. Actress and Director Elisabeth Rohm narrates Law&Crime's 6-part investigative series, which draws from thousands of pages of transcripts, exhibits, audio files, and video recordings from a federal trial and explores the actions and motives of Larry Ray. This is Law&Crime’s Devil in the Dorm. You can listen to Law&Crime’s Devil in the Dorm now exclusively on Wondery Plus. Find Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

Episode Transcript

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The Long Crime Network has a newpodcast series out now exclusively on Moundery Plus
called Devil in the Dorm, alongwith Adam Klassfeld and my co host on
The Shattered Window, Emily G.Thompson, I was one of the writers
on this show. It's about aman named Larry Ray who moved into his
daughter's college dorm at Sarah Lawrence andspent the next decade controlling her friends under

(00:24):
what money have described as a sexcult. The six part podcast series was
composed from thousands of pages of federaltrial transcript and is hosted by an actress
who went to Sarah Lawrence College,Elizabeth Rome. There are no cameras or
audio recordings permitted in federal court,so all of the testimony has been recreated

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by some of the biggest true crimecontent creators. Devil in the Dorm explores
how, over the course of almostten years, Larry Ray extorted millions of
dollars from the young students while abusingthem physically, sexually, and psychologically.
During that time, Larry Ray droveseveral members of his group to the brink

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of suicide and, according to atleast one account, push one of them
over the edge. You can listento Long Crimes Devil in the Dorm now
exclusively on Wondery Plus, from WondryPlus in the Wundery app, or on
app podcasts. Here is a trailerfor the show. Everything about this Sarah

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Lawrence Campus speaks to its uniqueness.A green, lawned haven forty five minutes
north of glass, concrete and steelNew York City. Its nineteenth century Tudor
Revival architecture stands in a sharp contrastto the towering skyscrapers just fifteen miles south.
The campus is surrounded by forty fouracres of lush woodland, shaded by
oak, maple, and cherry treesand wisteria vines on arbor. I often

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call the college the Land of BrokenToys. If you struggle to function or
fit in anywhere else, Sarahlawrence isthe perfect place for you. This is
the quality of Sarah Lawrence College thatLarry Ray exploited to create what is all
the hallmarks of a cult on campusin late twenty ten. Please away now,

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plea call. Don't get off meanttouching me. I don't want you
touch me. Not boy he lacewhere they and I can behave. I'm
the lay they gause, I'm shitingtalk to you. I'm going about to

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stop. I don't want you totell me all they stop touching me,
Stop pulling me, stop slapping me, stop scratching me, stop bullying me.
I'm sick of it. Please juststop it, let me go.
I don't want you touching me.What do I have to do to thank
you? Stop it? My nameis Elizabeth Rome. I'm an actress and
a proud Sarah Lawrence College graduate.In fact, I'm eternally grateful to Sarah

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Lawrence for who I've become as awoman and as an artist. My mom
went there, I've served on theboard, and I've even gone back and
taught there. For me, SarahLawrence College is like a unicorn in a
world where education isn't often uniquely formattedfor creative children with a lot of depth.
One of the school slogans is We'redifferent, so are you? And

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I felt that motto in my bones, so I look at me. Why
are you? Ryan? Why areyou? I don't want it? Why
are you are? Why are you? Ryan? Look? Look the party,
Jane law all your Facebook friends,I don't want you. They don't
want to day those things. WhenI first learned that a man named Larry
Ray started what has been called acult that took root in my old college,

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I was shocked, sickened, anddisturbed. And it takes a lot
to disturb me. For four years, I played a Manhattan prosecutor on the
TV series Law and Order. Andyou also may have seen me in David
o' russell's black comedy American Hustle andBombshell, a film about the sexual harassment
scandal inside Fox News. But nothingprepared me for the strange, twisted,
and sordid details of the Larry Raystory. Devil in the Dorm draws from

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thousands of pages of transcripts, exhibits, audio files, and video recordings from
a federal sex trafficking trial. Thereare no cameras or audio recordings in federal
court, so all of the testimonythat you'll hear has been recreated by actors.
Prosecutors say Larry extorted the students ofhundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions
of dollars, brutalizing them with aset of flyers, a hammer, a

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belt, duct tape, and simplywith his fists. According to testimony from
multiple victims in court, Over thecourse of roughly a decade, Larry would
drive several students to the brink ofsuicide, and, according to at least
one account, pushed one of themover the edge. He would make millions
of dollars by forcing one of thestudents into sex trafficking. Long crimes podcast

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Devil in the Dorm explores how thathappened and what became of him, his
followers, his enablers, and hisvictims. And I personally look into the
question I can't stop asking myself asa parent, how did this slip under
the nose of the college? Ilove This podcast contains themes and descriptions of

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sexual assault, violence, suicide,and self harm. If these are difficult
topics for you, The National SuicidePrevention Hotline is now nine eight eight and
it can be dialed anywhere in theUnited States. The lifeline provides twenty four
seven free and confidential support for peoplein distress, prevention in crisis resources for

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you or your loved ones, andbest practices for professionals.