In April 2022 he was found guilty on all counts, and on January 20, 2023 he was sentenced to 60 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, violent crime in aid of racketeering, extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor, tax evasion and money laundering offenses. Prosecutors had previously painted Pollok as someone who held a "privileged position within the Ray Family, acting as Ray's lieutenant, with respect to his extortionate demands for financial payments, physical labor, and prostitution, and in laundering the criminal proceeds of extortion and sex trafficking through bank accounts and GoDaddy," per sentencing documentscited by PEOPLE. A U.S. District Court judge handed down the sentence to Isabella Pollok, 31, in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Thursday afternoon. Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence is streaming now on Hulu. He then dumped cold water on her and choked her with a plastic bag and pillow, Drury testified. She told the judge that she helped Ray disguise money that she knew came from illegal activities, namely the $2.5 million in sex trafficking proceeds of his victim Claudia Drury. It appears that Isabella's family, in particular, her mother, is convinced that Isabella was also a victim of Rays. Now that Isabella is getting ready to face the music, Cynthia has pledged to stand by her side. I believe that he specifically encouraged, groomed and conditioned callousness and meanness into her personality, while making her not only believe but know, with conviction, that her reactions were the appropriate and kind one.. Thats very different from saying, I will.'. The 30-year-old was indicted by federal. The San Antonio native actually appeared to lead a good, happy life since she was at the elite liberal arts institute on a full scholarship, yet the truth is she was struggling with her mental health. Hulus new three-part docuseries, Stolen Youth, investigates the crimes of Sarah Lawrence College sex cult leader Larry Ray. As originals that live up to their title from every conceivable angle, Peacocks Sex, Lies, and the College Cult and Hulus Stolen Youth can only be described as equal parts haunting as well as riveting. Your crime was an extremely serious one, Judge Lewis Liman told Pollock before handing down the 54-month sentence in Manhattan federal court. At that point in time, he did save my life. It was up to Judge Lewis Liman to decide how much her psychological duress contributed to her participation in sadistic crimes. She had problems that he could help her talk through. Thats because it meticulously charts the way Larry Ray began an abusive cult shortly after moving into his daughters dorm at Sarah Lawrence College, just not to be caught for nearly a decade. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Your crime was an extremely serious one, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman declared, noting that it lasted a long time, caused immense harm to the victims, and involved sadistic violence. Fox News Is Reportedly Shadowbanning Donald Trump. Roberta tells [what] happened at Larry Ray's co-conspirator Isabella Pollok's sentencing hearing." The second-largest retail pharmacy chain wont buck Republican attorneys general. Pollok is being investigated for helping Ray manipulate and abuse Pollok's fellow students at Sarah Lawrence College, on September 7 2022 she pled guilty to one count of conspiring to launder money. . Liman worried about what effect a non-jail sentence would send. From there, Isabella and Larry grew closer with each passing day he was comfortably sleeping in her room by the time winter break arrived and had even managed to alienate her from family. AUSA's first line:"On Oct. 16, 2018, Lawrence Ray went to a midtown motel. Ray groomed Isabella, at first by listening and paying attention to her. In federal court, people awaiting sentencing commonly write emotional pleas to the presiding judge seeking leniency, but Polloks overture stands apart: She addressed two separate letters to the judge and prosecutors. During her trial, Isabelle admitted to prosecutors that Talia and Ray had become her lifeline at Sarah Lawrence after Polloks tough childhood in Texas. In 2010, Ray allegedly recruited Pollok to help operate a campus sex cult after moving into his daughters dormitory at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. "Ray then became her lover and convinced her of the need to explore her sexuality. Santos recalls how reclusive Pollok, reeling from a breakup, seemed "vibrant . Copyright 2023 Distractify. In the hearing, the Sarah Lawrence student admitted she knew her activities were wrong, which included recording the abuse Ray inflicted on Claudia Drury in the fall of 2018. This wasnt true of Pollok, the prosecutor said. A woman who referred to herself as Sarah Lawrence 'cult leader' Larry Ray's 'wife' and lived with him and his co-accused, 'lieutenant' Isabella Pollok, has told jurors how her 'romantic . Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Isabella Pollok must report to prison by April 25 to begin serving a 4 1/2-year sentence that U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman said resulted from her failure to rebel against Lawrence Ray's . I believed and supported someone who controlled me in ways I could not understand, Pollok tearfully said, struggling to get the words out. She was also Ray's servant and sex partner, and, as prosecutors said in court in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday, his right hand in a. DeSantis Promises Florida Will Control Disney Content. Pollok taunted Drury during the torture session, calling her a faker and telling her the water was room temperature, she testified. You were not the leader of the Ray enterprise, Liman continued, noting that she was a young adult at the times but by no means innocent.. Social media users have asked themselves just how Ray was able to pull off the unthinkable. Liman, an even-keeled force throughout Rays trial, acknowledged the control Ray exercised over Pollok, but he never lost sight of the fact that she was a key instrument of Rays manipulation. Pollok exercised agency, Keenan argued. So now, if you wish to learn more about the one individual to have undeniably helped him manipulate and control victims throughout his lieutenant, Isabella Pollok weve got you covered. Larry Rays only co-conspirator to be charged and convicted in the Sarah Lawrence College sex cult case was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison on Wednesday after tearfully telling the court that the guru controlled her beyond comprehension. Referring to the governments proposed five-year sentence, he added: To me, that sentence is vengeance, not justice.. Pollok wept at her reflections of those actions at her sentencing. She said that between 2015 and 2019, when she eventually left Ray, she understood that the "extreme majority" of the money she earned from her clients would be given to Ray and Isabella Pollok. Isabella Pollok's stand has come days before she will be sentenced on February 22 after she pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy. He was also said to have extorted money from their families and made some of them take part in forced labor and prostitution. I badly hurt my friends and I am ashamed, Pollok said. I deeply regret it. But, they added, Pollok grew close to Ray as he exerted tyrannical control over a group of college students and other young people and exploited her position to insulate her from the worst of his abuse. The Cut first reported on Ray's actions in a 2019 story, in which it was detailed how Ray made himself appear to be a confidant and spiritual guide to Talia's friends. He used violence, psychological abuse and sexual coercion to control several students over a decade-long period. Attorneys Danielle Sassoon, Mollie Bracewell, and Lindsey Keenan are in charge of the prosecution. I wish I had been able to view the world then as I do now. Legal documents show that Larry Ray, daughter Talia, Isabella and others were still living together in 2017. It's the place where her step-grandfather Gordon Ray resides and the place she'd first started calling home around 2014 after landing a job at The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines. Pollok must report to federal prison in 60 days, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed with. Ray later began having "interrogation" sessions with the students, manipulating them into making false confessions such as trying to poison him. It wasnt until witnessing this that I began to accept just how susceptible I was to being manipulated, she wrote. Thanks for contacting us. Isabella Pollok, 31, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to a single money laundering conspiracy count, specifically related to proceeds of Rays sick plot to traffic and extort a group of college students and other young people. According to prosecutors, she served as the chief lieutenant to Lawrence Ray, who relied on her. But Polloks defense lawyers, David B. Bertan and Jill R. Shellow, also argued she was severely victimized by Ray. It Sure Doesnt Seem Like Havana Syndrome Is Russias Fault. Per the New York Post, on Sept. 7, 2022, Isabella pled guilty to one conspiracy count, which looks like the result of a plea deal. Isabella Pollok Gets Sentenced!", Roberta Glass True Crime Report, 28 Feb 2023 [00:28:27] "[NXIVM cult loyalist, Marc Elliott] gets punked [on H3H3 podcast]. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. I am not the same person who met Lawrence Ray over 10 years ago. Evidence at the trial established that Ray took control of a set of his daughter Talia's college friends after moving into their campus housing in 2010. Alleged @SarahLawrence College sex manipulator, extortionist Larry Ray had a co-conspirator. In case you've been out of the loop, Isabella pleaded guilty on Sept. 5, 2022, to one count of conspiracy of laundering money, in connection to Ray's crimes of extortion, money laundering, sex trafficking, and more. Shed initially pleaded not guilty. Over the next decade, more young adults joined and left the cult . However, Cynthia shared that she made attempts to remove Isabella from the situation but was threatened by Ray. This story has been shared 104,452 times. Pollok admitted that she laundered the loot, and a jury heard that she participated in what prosecutors called Drurys long night of torture.. This story has been shared 135,794 times. Cynthia Pollok has openly blamed Lawrence Ray for her daughter''s involvement in the sex cult. 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She does not deserve to go to jail.. It sparked a war of words that quickly got personal. In case youve been out of the loop, Isabella pleaded guilty on Sept. 5, 2022, to one count of conspiracy of laundering money, in connection to Rays crimes of extortion, money laundering, sex trafficking, and more. Prior to taking a plea deal, Pollok had faced a series of charges, including extortion conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy and money laundering. But she was no less a victim.. She fetched a plastic bag for Ray to torture Drury, and a sex toy to aid in the public humiliation of another former roommate. She followed a friend with a camcorder to record her having sex with strangers so that Ray could one day use the videos as collateral. The role of Isabella Pollok who was indicted alongside Lawrence Ray in 2021 for serving as his "trusted lieutenant" in the creepy cult was thrown into sharp relief in a Manhattan . Larry Ray promised answers, peddling a credo of sexual liberation and the quest for potential. He also dazzled his young acolytes through his elaborate backstory boasting of connections to elite figures in politics, the U.S. military, and the intelligence community. In September 2022, Pollok pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to launder money. It's reported that Larry, Isabella and another woman named Felicia Rosario are. Isabella Pollok was Larry Ray 's daughter's best friend. "Isabella finally started to realize that being in Larry's corner is not going to help her," Cyndi said regarding the plea deal. At first, what Larry Ray gave the Slonim 9 . Ray had pulled Polloks hair, hit her, and locked her outside in the cold of winter. He offered gold-wrapped candy bars in a stunt that showed he isnt a worthy successor to his dad. Ray then became her lover and convinced her of the need to explore her sexuality, the defense attorneys wrote. Prosecutors identified Pollok as the woman who helped Ray torment Drury during a long night of torture at Manhattans Gregory Hotel in 2018. A U.S. District Court judge handed down the sentence to Isabella Pollok, 31, in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Thursday afternoon. All had come to see Larry Ray as a man whose advice they trusted with personal difficulties and insecurities. Rays manipulation of Isabella was different in kind from the other student-victims because among other things he had made her his lover, Polloks attorneys wrote. Larry Ray was sentenced to 60 years in prison for sex trafficking and other crimes involving his daughter and friends. Another Sarah Lawrence student, Felicia Rosario, was also allegedly romantically involved with Ray. I know I committed serious crimes and I fully accept responsibility for my actions. Santos Rosario and his siblings had a turbulent family life. Isabella did whatever Ray directed, they added. Nowhere is the lab-leak debate more personal than among the experts investigating the origins of COVID. Isabella Pollok, one of the Sarah Lawrence students who fell under the influence of Lawrence V. Ray, pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence examines the crimes of Larry Ray and the emotional, physical and sexual abuse he carried out on his daughter Talia's friends at the elite liberal arts college in New York from 2010. And tell him that no matter what happens or doesnt happen, in no way am I straying from the truth.. If it were not for Lawrence Ray's presence at Sarah Lawrence, Isabella would not be here. 2024 Polls Show DeSantis Cant Easily Knock Out Trump. Prior to taking a plea deal, Pollok had faced a series of charges, including extortion conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy and money laundering. Ray, a shadowy figure who never actually served in the marines, exuded coveted experience, ambition and curiosity. Pollok now faces a maximum five-year sentence and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the financial gain of her conspiracy. Attorneys for Pollok urged Liman to impose a non-prison sentence, arguing she was groomed and tortured by Ray during her time under his control. In Defense of the Talkative Trump Grand Juror. She questioned how Sarah Lawrence College allowed Ray to sleep inside the dorm to begin with, allowing the cult to take root on campus. Drury testified that they ate burgers and fries from the nearby Starlight Diner, but left her hungry. This story has been shared 126,899 times. Law&Crime chronicled Rays case in a six-part narrative podcast series, Devil in the Dorm, exclusively available ad-free on Wondery+. Larry Ray has been held in a Brooklyn jail since his arrest. The network has reportedly instituted a soft ban on Trump, a huge problem for his campaign and for Fox News if the policy backfires. It took a lot more investigative digging as well as interviews with real victims before she was charged with racketeering conspiracy, extortion conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, and money laundering. NXIVM gets punked on the H3H3 podcast and Isabella Pollok gets sentenced for her part in Sarah Lawrence College cult leader Larry Ray's crimes. Thanks for contacting us. To date in the saga of convicted sex trafficker Larry Ray, federal prosecutors charged only one person as his co-conspirator and referred to her as his lieutenant: Isabella Pollok, his daughters best friend. She explains the press to the president, preaches Twitter-is-not-real-life, and keeps the West Wing from leaking. Pollok, who says that she felt like an outsider even in her own family growing up, struggles to make connections on campus until she meets Ray. She had knowingly disguised illegal sex trafficking proceeds of $2.5m after Ray had forced former student Claudia Durey into prostitution, the court heard. Pollok also wrote letters to the judge and prosecutors in her case. She sounded a similar note to U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman, who will sentence her on Feb. 22. His decision a sentence of just over four years was only slightly less than the five years prosecutors had requested. Pollok told Judge Lewis Liman that as part of the conspiracy, she took part in financial transactions generated by illegal activity in the hopes of hiding the source and ownership of the cash. Have a tip we should know? Where Is Larry Rays Cult Survivor Claudia Drury Now. A comprehensive new government study concludes that the illness probably wasnt caused by foreign adversaries. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. February 23, 2023. While it is certainly true that the defendant was unlikely to have instigated the abuse that was inflicted on the victims, she was a willing accomplice for years. Attending Sarah Lawrence was my way of trying to run away from traumas that I experienced in my childhood.. Kultleder Larry Ray ble funnet skyldig i menneskehandel, utpressing . It was in that institution, some 15 miles north of midtown Manhattan, that Pollok had met Larry Ray as a college sophomore in the autumn of 2010. . The Californians have been booted from Frogmore Cottage because the king (or the character invented by the U.K. press) has had enough of their abuse. Court documents showed that one student, Claudia Drury, was forced by Ray into prostitution to "pay damages to [him] that she did not actually owe." Although Isabella will likely face jail time for her crimes, many people are wondering why Cynthia and Isabellas other family members didnt intervene from the beginning. Pollok must report to federal prison in 60 days, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed with Oxygen.com on Friday. She was reportedly best friends with Talia, the daughter of prime accused Lawrence 'Larry' Ray. Isabella Pollok (31) omtales som lytnant i Lawrence Larry Rays voldelige skole-kult. Now, survivors tell their stories, This is insane: Viewers disturbed by new true-crime show Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence, Cult leader Larry Ray sentenced after sex trafficking and racketeering conviction, Sarah Lawrence sex cult member sentenced to 4.5 years in prison, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. A U.S. District Court judge handed down the sentence to Isabella Pollok, 31, in a. This story has been shared 126,899 times. Florida Republican Wants to Cancel Democrats Over Slavery. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Both Pollok and her mother maintain the student was one of Rays many victims through manipulation. Ray turned a guru for the young students and soon persuaded them to believe they had committed crimes against them. The accusations include "helping [Ray] collect millions of dollars in profits from one of her former classmates whom prosecutors said he had forced to become a prostitute." After all, shed not just lived with Larry in several areas around New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina but had also assisted him in his schemes of sexual and psychological abuse. Donald Trump Jr. Privacy Policy and Like most parents, Cynthia Pollok is standing by her daughters side through her current legal struggles. Cynthia shared that she showed up at Rays Piscataway, N.J., residence (where the two were living at the time) in 2019 to bring Isabella home. Pollok wrote: "I trusted Lawrence more than I trusted myself and in doing so, I betrayed my own sense of right and wrong.". Isabella Pollok, the former best friend of daughter Talia Ray, was a young student when Larry Ray started living in her communal dorm Slonim Woods 9 and sleeping in her room. Isabella Pollok, one of the Sarah Lawrence students who fell under the influence of Mr. Ray, pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money, after being accused by prosecutors of serving as the man . Her attorneys described something akin to deprogramming. Isabella Pollok, the former best friend of daughter Talia Ray, was a young student when Larry Ray started living in her communal dorm Slonim Woods 9 and sleeping in her room. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. That sentence must clearly state that crime does not pay, the judge said. Federal prosecutors have now charged Isabella Pollok with helping Ray psychologically and sexually exploit victims for financial gain, according to a superseding indictment. He is the host of Law&Crime podcast "Objections: with Adam Klasfeld.".