Lawrence Arata, the executive director for the Opioid Crisis Response Network in Upper Darby, was charged with 34 criminal counts of human trafficking and prostitution-related offenses. The leader of a Delaware County nonprofit faces serious accusations of exploiting vulnerable women seeking help for addiction. Prosecutors allege that Arata, 65, targeted women in his drug recovery program, offering cash and gift cards in exchange for sex. Arata, who leads The Opioid Action Network, is accused of using funds meant for recovery and housing to exploit these women. The arrest affidavit details encounters with accusers, including one who exchanged sex for $200 in gift cards. A request for a statement from Opioid Action Network has not been returned. Arata allegedly tried to have clients stay with him at a Chester hotel he was staying in several days a week. One woman reported repeatedly meeting Arata at her home for sex that was traded for cash and gift cards to stores like Kohl’s and Giant. "He’s literally supposed to be the one helping them instead he’s preying on them," said Jack Stollsteimer, Delaware County District Attorney. Stollsteimer emphasized the betrayal felt by victims seeking help from the county, only to be exploited again. Arata, who founded the nonprofit after his son's overdose death, unsuccessfully ran for a Congressional seat in Pennsylvania’s 5th District in 2018.
Arata is accused of using funds intended for recovery and housing to exploit women seeking help for addiction, including exchanges of sex for cash and gift cards.