Image sources: Lawrence, “Larry” Arata, courtesy of the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division. Background image of OCAN, courtesy of Facebook.
The executive director and co-founder of a Delaware County nonprofit, Opioid Crisis Action Network (OCAN), is now facing sweeping criminal charges after investigators say he used opioid-settlement funds to sexually exploit vulnerable women seeking help.
According to the criminal complaint, 65-year-old Lawrence “Larry” Arata, of Villas, New Jersey, allegedly leveraged OCAN’s “program benefits, such as meal credits, gift cards, bus passes, money, and rental assistance, and the like,” for sexual favors.
Arata founded OCAN and its Recovery Fund with his wife Heather after the overdose death of their son. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “They established [OCAN] to advocate for and assist people trying to leave addiction behind.”
On its website, OCAN describes itself as “an advocacy group for the recovery community which educates the public about medical best practices treatment, prevention and harm reduction solutions to substance use disorder.” OCAN and its affiliated Recovery Fund, which “pays for the treatment and housing in best practices recovery homes for those suffering from substance use disorder,” have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in opioid settlement money.
According to NBC Philadelphia, “OCAN received $429,000 in opioid settlement funding and as of August 2025, the group spent most of it – more than $394,000.”
“People in recovery from opioid and other narcotic addictions need support which Delaware County seeks to prove utilizing the Opioid Settlement funds my Office and County Council obtained in order to help our residents. Our investigation concluded that Larry Arata cynically and cruelly misused those funds as leverage to satisfy his sexual desires,” District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said. (Delaware County District Attorney’s Office)
The DA believes that there may be additional victims of Arata and is encouraging anyone with information to contact the Delaware County Victim’s Assistance Center or the DA’s office at 610-891-4161.
What the Criminal Charges Include
The criminal complaint was filed on November 18, 2025, and Arata is charged with thirty-four offenses including harassment, “Trafficking in Individuals, Patronizing Prostitutes, Witness Intimidation, and Obstruction of Justice.” (Delaware County District Attorney’s Office)
Arata turned himself into law enforcement on November 19, 2025, following an investigation by Upper Darby Police and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division. He is currently free after posting bail.
Arata’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 4, 2025 before Judge Benjamin Johns.
When approached by 6 ABC Action News, “Arata had no comment, but his attorney maintained his client’s innocence,” claiming that Arata was in fact helping the women and that his son had died from an overdose.
What Investigators Say Happened
According to the affidavit of probable cause, investigators first became aware of concerns on October 9, 2025, when a former OCAN employee and program director reported troubling behavior. She told detectives that Arata lived in Villas, New Jersey, but worked out of OCAN’s Upper Darby office several days a week and routinely rented a hotel room at the Best Western in Chester. According to the affidavit, the witness “became aware of and witnessed Arata acting inappropriately with clients.”
She said clients began coming to her with accounts that Arata tried to get them to “stay in a hotel, kiss them, touch them, and offer them money.” This harassment caused some clients to leave the program, according to the affidavit. The witness also explained that Arata personally controlled which clients received services, such as food cards and gift cards.
She ultimately emailed Arata to tell him his behavior was inappropriate “and even suggested that he stepped down as the director.”
Victims described coerced sexual acts that included bribes, phone calls, inappropriate conversations, and attempts to arrange secret meetings.
One victim reported encounters in Arata’s vehicle where she was exploited and bribed into performing sex acts. She “felt she had no options; she needed help and needed the gift cards.”
Another victim, a former OCAN client, told investigators that Arata repeatedly called and texted, offering her “money, trying to get her to come to the Best Western.” She said he presented “himself as a power figure and she felt it was a losing battle to say anything.”
Another victim described a longer pattern in which Arata picked her up from recovery housing and took her to hotels in Chester for sexual acts in exchange for gift cards and cash payments she depended on to live.
One witness explained that clients referred to Arata as “the old white guy who has all the gift cards,” according to the affidavit. Another witness reported that a resident at a veterans recovery home disclosed that she had sex with Arata in exchange for dental work and rent support for her daughter.
These accounts collectively show a pattern in which Arata allegedly used OCAN’s settlement-funded resources as leverage over vulnerable women who depended on the organization for daily survival.
Alleged Attempts to Interfere With the Investigation
Arata is facing obstruction of justice charges, based on allegations that he attempted to interfere with the investigation.
One documented incident describes Arata pulling a victim aside during an OCAN event and screaming at her, accusing her of making false allegations and demanding that she recant her statement to law enforcement, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit further states that Arata tried to contact one of the victims and encouraged her not to cooperate, telling her that “the police may call her and for her not to take the call.” He claimed a witness had “been spreading lies about him.”
Another time, he texted her, stating, “Hi. This is Larry…The police confiscated my phone Wednesday with a search warrant. They may contact you. [A witness] may have contacted you. She is sending lies to everyone and trying to bribe them to tell lies.”
Arata’s Public Image
Larry Arata was a recognizable individual in Pennsylvania.
He previously taught English at George Washington High School in Northeast Philadelphia, and in 2018, he ran for congress, presenting himself as a community leader engaged in recovery efforts and public service. He also coached wrestling and football.
Before these charges became public, OCAN and the Arata family had been featured positively in coverage surrounding addiction recovery. In 2024, Main Line Health published an article about Larry and Heather Arata titled, “Turning grief into action after losing their son to addiction.” The webpage has since been archived.
A Profound Betrayal of the People He Claimed to Champion
It is devastating when a person who positions themselves as a champion for the vulnerable instead uses their role for exploitation.
The affidavit in this case depicts a man who, rather than supporting vulnerable women, allegedly weaponized the very survival resources they depended on to serve his own purposes.
OCAN publicly presents itself as an advocacy group committed to supporting people in recovery, and Arata positioned himself as a leader in the fight against the opioid epidemic.
For those in recovery, trust is fragile, and when someone in a position of authority leverages essential resources for sexual control, the harm goes far beyond a loss of trust. It causes deep trauma, emotional pain, and long-lasting damage, particularly for individuals already navigating addiction and past victimization.
Abuse and exploitation don’t just undermine confidence in one program. They reverberate across the entire recovery ecosystem, making it harder for survivors to seek help in the future. This breach of trust underscores the seriousness of these allegations and why accountability is essential.
Potential Civil Liability
Even though the criminal case is still unfolding, the information in the affidavit raises serious civil liability concerns. Nonprofit leaders and those who work with vulnerable populations have a legal duty to ensure that assistance programs are administered safely, ethically, and without exploitation.
When someone in a position of power abuses their access to clients to obtain sexual favors, that can open the door to civil claims brought by survivors.
Arata, OCAN, and other parties may be held civilly responsible and courts may examine whether organizations had systems in place to detect, prevent, or respond to exploitation.
Survivors of institutional sexual abuse may have the right to pursue civil claims for emotional harm, coercion, and violations of trust.
If You Were Harmed by Lawrence Arata, Help Is Available
Andreozzi + Foote represents survivors in Pennsylvania and across the country, including those who were harmed in treatment programs and other spaces where people seek stability and support.
If you experienced any form of sexual abuse, coercion, or exploitation involving Larry Arata, help is available, and you may have legal options.
Our team is trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and committed to helping individuals understand their rights and choose the path that feels the most empowering to them.
Your voice deserves to be heard, and our attorneys are ready to listen.
All consultations are free and completely confidential.
Contact us today.
