The founder of a nonprofit that serves people recovering from drug addiction was charged Wednesday with using Delaware County opioid settlement funds to bribe his clients in exchange for sexual favors, prosecutors said.
Larry Arata, director of the Upper Darby-based Opioid Crisis Action Network, turned himself in to authorities today after investigators pieced together accounts from at least four women who said he bribed them with gift cards and other assistance from the nonprofit's recovery community center.
Arata and his wife, Heather, co-founded OCAN in 2018 after their 23-year-old son died of an opioid overdose. The organization's services are partly funded by county and state programs that administer millions of dollars in legal settlement funds from opioid manufacturers and distributors that were sued for their roles in fueling the nation's deadly epidemic.
"Our investigation concluded that Larry Arata cynically and cruelly misused those funds as leverage to satisfy his sexual desires," Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said.
Police in Upper Darby were contacted in August by a former OCAN program director who said women had come forward to her about Arata pressuring them for sex in exchange for meal credits, gift cards, rental assistance, cash and bus passes, among other benefits. Arata allegedly kissed and touched some of the women, invited them to stay at a hotel with him and used his power over OCAN's purse to prey on their financial dependence, investigators said.
One woman told detectives she was coerced to give Arata oral sex in his car twice over the last two years, according to charging documents. The woman said she was a client of OCAN and relied on the nonprofit's assistance to pay for rent, food and other expenses.
In his car, Arata allegedly told the woman she would need to keep their encounters secret. He placed $150 worth of gift cards to a grocery store and Kohl's in the console of his car and told the woman that in order to receive her benefits, she would need to perform sexual favors, authorities said.
Another former OCAN client told investigators Arata repeatedly offered her money to join him in his hotel room at a Best Western in Chester, where he spent part of each week away from his home in New Jersey. The woman rejected his advances and told police that Arata later called to apologize for making her uncomfortable.
A third woman told investigators Arata cornered her in his office at OCAN earlier this year and tried to kiss her. Days after authorities seized Arata's laptop and cellphone earlier this month, he allegedly confronted the woman to accuse her of making false allegations to police.
Authorities also interviewed a fourth woman who said she got to know Arata during her time at addiction recovery programs in Delaware County over the past two years. The woman told police she had sex with Arata on multiple occasions in exchange for hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards and cash that she relied on to pay bills.
Stollsteimer said the DA's office believes Arata may have taken advantage of other women. He encouraged anyone else with information to come forward to investigators.
OCAN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges against Arata and how his arrest will impact the organization's work. The nonprofit's website says it provides grants to treatment centers and recovery homes on behalf of people in financial need suffering from substance abuse disorder.
Prosecutors did not say how much opioid settlement money Arata allegedly misused through OCAN. Delaware County's largest settlement, a deal struck with three pharmaceutical distributors in 2022, totals $62.5 million to be paid out in installments over an 18-year period. The funds are meant to directly address community impacts of opioid overuse and addiction, including recovery and prevention services and training for first responders.
A 2021 profile in the Inquirer on OCAN's advocacy work notes that Arata was an English teacher at George Washington High School in Northeast Philadelphia in recent years. He also formerly taught and coached football at Olney Charter High School.
Arata is charged with 33 criminal counts that include trafficking in individuals, patronizing prostitutes, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice. He was arraigned Wednesday and released after posting bail set at 10% of $500,000.