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At his trial, numerous victims testified that Pollok acted as Rays top lieutenant, including Drury, who told jurors that the pair tortured her in a hotel room for hours after Ray became enraged at her. Thanks for contacting us. This story has been shared 104,452 times. Who is Isabella Pollok? They had written a letter to the federal judge in the case in the weeks leading up to her sentencing pleading for leniency. She is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2023. She told the judge 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," the Post writes. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. A former Sarah Lawrence sex cult member who prosecutors say fell under the spell of mastermind Larry Ray has been sentenced to 4 and a half years in prison. This case is a parents worst nightmare, Shellow added. 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. On September 7, 2022 she pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy. I will live with the guilt forever. Pollok admitted that she laundered the loot, and a jury heard that she participated in what prosecutors called Drurys long night of torture.. Copyright 2023 Distractify. 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 . Totally his fault., Isabella Pollok leaving a NYC courthouse with her attorney. Ray groomed Isabella, at first by listening and paying attention to her. 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. Talia was good to me, I trusted her and her trust in him was enough, her letter states. I still love her, I dont care what shes done, Cynthia told the outlet. Isabella Pollok was Larry Rays daughters best friend. Will others follow? I did what they said I did.. She said: "I'm 19, I was having a lot of difficulty making sense of things, I wasn't in a good place. A Florida bill takes a ridiculous GOP argument to the extreme, aiming to eliminate the Democratic Party for its ancient ties to white supremacy. [emailprotected], Law&Crime's managing editor Adam Klasfeld has spent more than a decade on the legal beat. Short of murder, there is nothing she could do to dissuade me from loving her.". 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. Pollok has been charged as a codefendant of Lawrence Ray, the parent of a former student who was charged last year for allegedly psychologically, physically and sexually abusing his daughter's . 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Like most parents, Cynthia Pollok is standing by her daughter's side through her current legal struggles. Larry Ray has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for using manipulation to extort millions from his victims. It's reported that Larry, Isabella and another woman named Felicia Rosario are. . 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. She faces a maximum of five years in prison at her Feb. 22 sentencing. This trust became a sort of blind faith. . 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. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Ray coerced his acolytes into falsely confessing these crimes, which he compulsively recorded in audio and video tapes, evidence showed. On that evening, Pollok had been recording Ray as he stripped Drury naked, tied her to a chair, doused her with water and tried suffocating her with a plastic bag. 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. Larry Ray's alleged 'lieutenant' Isabella Pollok is awaiting her sentence Documents obtained by Law And Crime claim that Pollock was indicted in Ray's case around January 2021 on. A co-conspirator of cult sex trafficker Larry Ray has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison. It was back in the fall of 2010 when 19-year-old Isabella first came across 50-year-old Larry as her best friend and roommate Talia Rays father, only for their bond to soon evolve into much more. I am not the same person who met Lawrence Ray over 10 years ago. Under the terms of her plea agreement, Pollok faces a maximum five-year sentence following her guilty plea to a single count of conspiracy. 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. The 31-year-old, who was out on bail, also conceded in court that I knew what I was doing was wrong and against the law. From what we can tell, her sentencing hearing is scheduled for late February 2023 she faces the absolute maximum penalty of five years in a federal correctional facility, plus $250,000 in fines. Isabella Pollok and Larry Ray pictured in stills from "Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence." Pollok is being investigated for helping Ray manipulate and abuse Pollok's. And a linguist named Emily M. Bender is very worried what will happen when we forget this. . 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Previously a reporter for Courthouse News, he has appeared as a guest on NewsNation, NBC, MSNBC, CBS's "Inside Edition," BBC, NPR, PBS, Sky News, and other networks. Police initially treated Isabella Pollok as one of Ray's victims. Most importantly, though, per the federal prosecutors, she helped Larry channel $2.5 million from her once-roommate and friend Claudia Drury, whom he had forced into prostitution sex trafficking. RAY's co-defendant Isabella Pollok is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. By Dorian Geiger The in-depth look at the shocking sex cult has gripped viewers. "I know this request comes late. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Parents and patients are now refuting her key claims. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. Ray recorded false confessions from his other victims, which he kept as blackmail material. In one particularly disturbing encounter, Pollok taunted Drury and watched as Ray tortured her for hours in a Manhattan hotel room because he feared she had grown too close to one of her johns. Now former Sarah Lawrence student Isabella Pollok, who according to her family was a victim of Ray's, is charged with one count each of extortion conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy . Pollok declined the offer, holding onto the myth that Ray was a victim of a massive conspiracy. For the longest time I believed that at nineteen years old, I was an adult and therefore in complete control of my mindset, Pollok told him. She had faced a possible maximum of five years in prison, according to a plea agreement. Hulus new three-part docuseries, Stolen Youth, investigates the crimes of Sarah Lawrence College sex cult leader Larry Ray. An indictment unsealed in January of 2021 named Pollok as a co-defendant who willingly joined Ray's "criminal scheme," according to the New York Times. Pollok had been best friends with Talia Ray in 2010 when her father Larry Ray moved into a communal student dorm room at Sarah Lawrence College, an elite college for liberal arts in New York. Moreover, according to the last reports (2020), Talia was a paralegal at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in Durham a post she could still hold today. 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. Daughter Talia Ray had introduced Pollok and her other roommates to him after his release from prison on unrelated child custody charges. Isabella Pollok, 31, must report to federal prison in 60 days, prosecutors said. Like most parents, Cynthia Pollok is standing by her daughters side through her current legal struggles. We've received your submission. This story has been shared 126,899 times. 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. With the help and love of others I have freed myself from the past. A comprehensive new government study concludes that the illness probably wasnt caused by foreign adversaries. Now that Rays fate has been sealed by the justice system, folks are wondering what consequences Isabella will also face. Cynthia Pollok has openly blamed Lawrence Ray for her daughter''s involvement in the sex cult. 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. 2024 Polls Show DeSantis Cant Easily Knock Out Trump. But, Isabellas guilty plea ended up throwing her for a loop. The docuseries 'Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence' is now available on Hulu. Over the next decade, more young adults joined and left the cult . Attorneys who successfully prosecuted her. Larry Ray accused of leading sex cult at Sarah Lawrence College, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, A students father moved into a Sarah Lawrence dorm and started a cult. "Witness interviews and evidence recovered during the investigation show parallels between the defendant's experience and that of the victims in this case.". "They were there or a woman Ray had "forced into a life of prostitution," she says. Earlier in the proceedings, Judge Liman remarked that Pollok didnt acknowledge the pain she caused her friends, and Polloks lawyers said she would do so in her remarks. Unfortunately, Cynthia said that her effort to bring Isabella home was unsuccessful after Ray threatened to call the police and accused Cynthia of trespassing while chasing her away. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Its imperative to note that the once-aspiring child psychologist actually continued to support Larry even after his arrest, and she has made no statements since regarding wheather or not her opinions of him have changed. Executive Producers Of Peacocks Sex, Lies And The College Cult On Sarah Lawrence Cult Leader Larry Ray, A co-conspirator of cult sex trafficker. Cynthia Pollok hasn't seen her daughter Isabella in a decade. Pollok, 31, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering, avoiding a trial. Shellow disagreed, calling her client Rays fungible and convenient tool. United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman announces the indictment against Lawrence Ray aka "Lawrence Grecco" on February 11, 2020 in New York City. 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 followed a friend with a camcorder to record her having sex with strangers so that Ray could one day use the videos as collateral. Have something to tell us about this article? ADVERTISEMENT The 31-year-old had admitted to working as a co-conspirator to Ray, as per reports. Ray faces a maximum of life in prison at his sentencing on Dec. 1. It caused immense harm to its victims, destroying lives in the process.. Rays manipulation of Isabella was different in kind from the other student-victims because among other things he had made her his lover, Polloks lawyers wrote. With Larry Ray's Arrest, Families of His Alleged Victims Breathe Sigh of Relief. There is the awed protg. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Ms. There is the broken automaton. Each of these pickups reflects initiative, Keenan told Liman, adding that Ray and Pollok blew the cash on day-to-day expenses, as well as on pricey restaurants, hotel rooms and shopping sprees at Bergdorf Goodman. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! All had come to see Larry Ray as a man whose advice they trusted with personal difficulties and insecurities. With Ray that night, and taping the incident with an audio recording, was Pollok. The evidence would overlap with what prosecutors used to win a conviction against Ray, who was found guilty in April of 15 counts, including racketeering, sex trafficking and money laundering. And now there is the Isabella who is before Your Honor prepared to be sentenced. Isabella Pollok, and Claudia Drury. And that its not fucking fair, she said in Stolen Youth. Offers may be subject to change without notice. "He started to help me kind of process and make sense of a lot of things I just couldn't make sense of.". Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. After his arrest, she wavers little if at all. 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Isabella Pollok, a former Sarah Lawrence College student who fell under the influence of sex cult leader Larry Ray was sentenced to more than four years in prison Wednesday for conspiring. The government knows of no instance when Ms. Pollok was threatened with exposure of collateral, Keenan said. Documents obtained by Law And Crime claim that Pollock was indicted in Rays case around January 2021 on charges of knowingly committing extortion together through wrongful use of actual and threatened force, violence, and fear.. Terms of Service apply. Claudia Drury's Harrowing Cult Story Was Documented in 'Stolen Youth' Where Is She Now? I do not blame her for any of this, any of what happened, or even the things she said and did to me. I did want to [go to the trial to] see her in person because I havent seen her in at least 10 years I havent talked to her in at least seven., Cynthia continued, Isabella finally started to realize that being in Larrys corner is not going to help her. I know I committed serious crimes and I fully accept responsibility for my actions. The prosecutor pointed to the dozens of cash pickups Pollok made from Drury while she was living in hotel rooms and sleeping with men for money. According to reports, Isabella once forced a brother-sister duo to wear diapers around her partners Manhattan apartment, and she further had a hand in inflicting other forms of torture on different victims. Santos Rosario testified that Ray ordered Drury to perform oral sex on him. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Isabella Pollok and Larry Ray pictured in stills from "Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence." This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Biden Chooses Crime Messaging Over D.C. Home Rule. Polloks defense team said. . It also includes interviews with family members and others involved in the case. Some of Rays stories, like his supposedly crucial role in ending the Kosovo War, were tall tales and exaggerations; others, like his ties to ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, checked out. His reporting on the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell was featured on the Starz and Channel 4 documentary "Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell?" His decision a sentence of just over four years was only slightly less than the five years prosecutors had requested. I do not believe she had a choice in who she became in the hands of Larry Ray, Drury wrote in a letter, urging lenience and mercy for her former friend. The same year, Ray moved in with his daughter Talia, and her other roommates including Pollok. The three-part series, premiering on February 9, gives Ray's victims a platform to speak out about Ray's decade of abuse. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. It caused immense harm to its victims, destroying lives in the process.. Judge Liman imposed real consequences on Isabella Pollok for acting as Larry Rays enforcer during his reign of terror, Epner told Law&Crime. Referring to the governments proposed five-year sentence, he added: To me, that sentence is vengeance, not justice.. 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. It was up to Judge Lewis Liman to decide how much her psychological duress contributed to her participation in sadistic crimes. She was barely a teenager when she met him. I will live with the guilt forever, she said. Larry Ray, the master manipulator at the center of New York Magazine's story "The Stolen Kids of Sarah . One such person is Isabella Pollok, one of the students who encountered Ray and became his alleged "lieutenant" in a "cult" he made at Sarah Lawrence. 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." Interestingly, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mollie Bracewell told the judge that, had the case gone to trial, prosecutors were prepared to introduce slew of evidence against Isabella ranging from financial ledgers to witness testimony. . According to reports, Isabella once forced a brother-sister duo to wear, around her partners Manhattan apartment, and she further had a hand in inflicting other forms of torture on different victims. I am still a work in progress but know to the extent that I can make amends for the harm I have caused I am willing. But he said that, but for Pollok, this scheme would not have succeeded the way that it did.. 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. All rights reserved. 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. She did what Ray conditioned her to do, Shellow said. It was unclear whether they were there in support of Pollok did they forgive Pollok for the torment she inflicted on them? He used violence, psychological abuse and sexual coercion to control several students over a decade-long period. Assistant US Attorney Mollie Bracewell told Liman that prosecutors would have introduced a host of evidence if the case had gone to trial, including witness testimony and financial records, including ledgers that were recovered from Pollok. Prosecutors had asked Liman to sentence Pollok to a maximum of 60 months in prison, but acknowledged in a sentencing submission that she was also a victim of Ray. She did not comment as she left court Wednesday. Prosecutors had sought a term of five years in prison, while her attorney David B. Bertan argued she had been brainwashed and should avoid a custodial sentence. Felicia Rosario, Former Sarah Lawrence Sex-Cult Member, Has Taken Her Life Back. At that point in time, he did save my life. Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world. Thanks for contacting us. 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. 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. Isabella Pollok, left, told the judge. A Whistleblowers Claims About a St. Louis Transgender Center Are Under Fire. Now that Isabella is getting ready to face the music, Cynthia has pledged to stand by her side. Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence is streaming now on Hulu. She questioned how Sarah Lawrence College allowed Ray to sleep inside the dorm to begin with, allowing the cult to take root on campus. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, who fell under the control of convicted predator Larry Ray, Sarah Lawrence sex cult leader Larry Rays top lieutenant sentenced to 54 months, Sarah Lawrence sex cult leader sentenced to 60 years in prison, Sarah Lawrence sex cult fiend to face sentencing today, Jury finds Larry Ray guilty on all counts in Sarah Lawrence sex cult trial. Instead, on September 7, 2022, Isabella changed her plea from not guilty to guilty to a single count of conspiracy to launder money by admitting she took part in transactions involving extorted funds. Liman worried about what effect a non-jail sentence would send. In 2010, Ray moved into his daughter's dorm room at Sarah Lawrence College, and started a s*x cult by manipulating his daughter's . Pollok will remain free on bail until her sentencing date. In September 2022, Isabella Pollok, who was one of Talia's classmates and named as a co-conspirator with Larry Ray, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy. A U.S. District Court judge handed down the sentence to Isabella Pollok, 31, in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Thursday afternoon. Ray was arrested in February 2020 and in April 2022, following a four-week trial, he was convicted on several counts including sex trafficking, extortion and forced labor. Despite the hype about Ron DeSantis surging past Donald Trump, both Republicans look unusually strong at this early stage of the presidential race. 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. Ray forced Drury to strip naked, handcuffed her to a chair and positioned her near a blasting air conditioner in the room at the Gregory Hotel in Midtown. According to BBC, he was found guilty of all 15 counts of racketeering, violent assault, extortion, sex trafficking, . Here is everything that viewers need to know about Pollok and where she is now. 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.. This story has been shared 135,794 times. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Pollok is currently being investigated as Ray's co-defendant, and prosecutors previously described her as Ray's "trusted lieutenant," per the New York Times. A co-conspirator of "cult" sex trafficker Larry Ray has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison. Ray turned a guru for the young students and soon persuaded them to believe they had committed crimes against them. Have a tip or story idea? She later added: "I know I committed serious crimes and I fully accept responsibility for my actions. A federal judge has found sufficient evidence to name Sarah Lawrence 'cult leader' Larry Ray's daughter, Talia, as a co-conspirator along with his so-called lieutenant and co-accused Isabella . 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Sarah Lawrence sex cult leader sentenced to 60 years in prison, Sarah Lawrence sex cult fiend to face sentencing today, Sarah Lawrence sex-cult leaders top lieutenant faces 5 years after admitting guilt, Jury finds Larry Ray guilty on all counts in Sarah Lawrence sex cult trial. Ray also made Felicia Rosario whom he didnt marry but called his wife another lover, and routinely blurred sexual boundaries with his followers. Claudia Drury, whom Ray coerced into prostitution, a federal judge sentenced Ray to 60 years in prison, the sense of clear moral victory felt after Rays sentence was announced, who read our 2019 cover story, or followed coverage of Rays trial, the new Hulu documentary in which Pollok participated, Felicia and Yalitza Rosario, two of Rays victims, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But I still say all of this is Larry Rays fault. During this time Ray began a relationship with both Pollok and Felicia Rosariothe sister of two of Ray's victims, Santos and Yalitza Rosario. She admitted to her role in helping Ray to sexually traffic victim Claudia Drury - who was also Pollok's former roommate - and laundering millions of dollars she earned in the process, according to Yahoo.