Four professors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York have been placed on paid leave as they are investigated on allegations of dealing drugs and sexual misconduct.
“Veteran professors at the Manhattan school renowned for training future crime-fighters ran a lawless den of depravity called ‘the swamp,’ where they allegedly used and sold drugs, and ‘pimped’ out and sexually preyed on students, according to two women at the center of a widening scandal,” reports the New York Post.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office is investigating longtime professors Anthony Marcus, Ric Curtis, Barry Spunt, and Leonardo Dominguez.
Two accusers have gone public, describing in detail how the CUNY professors targeted “vulnerable undergraduates” and seduced them into their “pot-smoking circle of acolytes” which expected sexual favors in return.
Naomi Haber, 24, claimed that she was raped by former anthropology department chair Anthony Marcus during an academic conference in 2015.
“He put his hands around my throat, choked me with both hands and forced himself inside me without warning,” Haber told the Post. “The only thing I could do was to go numb and detach myself from my body.”
Claudia Cojocaru, 39, says she was groped by Ric Curtis during a party. When she refused to sit in Curtis’ lap, Barry Spunt told her to show some “gratitude.”
Both women filed complaints with the school’s Title IX office in May. The school conducted an internal investigation and did not contact the police until months later.
There are also allegations against other professors who have not been placed on administrative leave yet, according to a report from The New York Times.
Alexander James is a contributor to Red Alert Politics and a freelance journalist.
