She had problems that he could help her talk through. If it were not for Lawrence Rays presence at Sarah Lawrence, Isabella would not be here. Larry Ray was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a decades-long abuse scheme against Sarah Lawrence College students. But I still say all of this is Larry Rays fault. 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. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Isabella Pollok, one of the Sarah Lawrence students who fell under the influence of Lawrence V. Ray, pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money. In the recording, the listener can hear Ray instruct Pollok to hand her that bag. According to BBC, he was found guilty of all 15 counts of racketeering, violent assault, extortion, sex trafficking, . At first, what Larry Ray gave the Slonim 9 . 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. Hundreds of people violently detained during a protest in the Bronx could receive $21,500 each. 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. He was also said to have extorted money from their families and made some of them take part in forced labor and prostitution. Who is Isabella Pollok? Just about anyone who read our 2019 cover story, or followed coverage of Rays trial, or watched Stolen Youth, the new Hulu documentary in which Pollok participated, could see that Pollok was utterly brainwashed by Ray. . Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. 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. 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. Drury, who felt the worst brunt on Polloks exploitation, appeared to agree in a letter to the court. Isabella Pollok and Larry Ray pictured in stills from "Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence." Born Lawrence Grecco, the former US Air Force troop moved into his daughter, Talias, college dorm in 2010. I am truly sorry, she said as her voice broke and she sobbed. A co-conspirator of "cult" sex trafficker Larry Ray has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison. Shellow disagreed, calling her client Rays fungible and convenient tool. Pollok was a quiet scholarship student from San Antonio, Texas, who didn't . Larry Ray arrived in a federal courtroom Tuesday wearing the standard khaki shirt and pants issued to inmates awaiting trial. : Who are Sally McNeils kids John and Shantina in Killer Sally documentary? Seeking a judges mercy, Polloks lawyers told a federal judge that she has now broken free from Rays cult and she now views her time spent under his thrall as the existence of a broken automaton., This prosecution reveals four phases of Isabella Polloks life: There is the damaged, lonely Sarah Lawrence College freshman, her attorneysDavid B. Bertan and Jill R. Shellow wrote in a 10-page letter. According to The Cut, Pollok "seemed to take comfort" in Ray's company when he moved in as she had recently had a breakup. He began having "therapy" sessions with individuals in order to learn intimate details about them. 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. There is no question that I wanted to make my family suffer for the way they made me suffer and the only way I believed I could do it was to commit suicide back in Texas during Christmas break.. Polloks defense attorneys described a young college sophomore with a turbulent home life when Ray, then the 54-year-old father of Polloks roommate and best friend, moved into her dorm room and went to work on his awed protg.. Ray also made Felicia Rosario whom he didnt marry but called his wife another lover, and routinely blurred sexual boundaries with his followers. It was unclear whether they were there in support of Pollok did they forgive Pollok for the torment she inflicted on them? When I started at Sarah Lawrence College in 2009, I saw it as opportunity to escape all the hardships in my life, Pollok wrote to the three Assistant U.S. I did what they said I did.. Jamie Reeds shocking account of a clinic mistreating children went viral. 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. 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. In Tennessee, Even Abortion to Save a Womans Life May Be Illegal. They had written a letter to the federal judge in the case in the weeks leading up to her sentencing pleading for leniency. According to Law And Crime, she pleaded guilty to a single Yet it may not be a loss for the left. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. RAY's co-defendant Isabella Pollok is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. 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. Pollok was half Rays age when they met at Sarah Lawrence. Over the next two years, Pollok underwent psychological evaluations, changed attorneys, met with therapists, worked a steady job, and found a boyfriend. "I know this request comes late. Even when they, along with some other young adults already on his radar, moved into an Upper East Side apartment the following year, things between the duo purportedly remained smooth. He is the host of Law&Crime podcast "Objections: with Adam Klasfeld.". What I want is to see her heal, process, move on and live a good, happy life, Drury wrote in a letter to the judge before sentencing. Here is everything that viewers need to know about Pollok and where she is now. She admitted that she helped Ray sexually traffic her one-time friend and roommate Claudia Drury and launder her millions of dollars in earnings. 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. I will live with the guilt forever, she said. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. At Sarah Lawrence in 2010, Pollok, then a 19-year-old sophomore, met Larry Ray, her housemate's 50-year-old father. The network has reportedly instituted a soft ban on Trump, a huge problem for his campaign and for Fox News if the policy backfires. to a single count of conspiracy in September. Victim and accomplice. Sarah Lawrence College student, Isabella Pollok, admitted to collaborating with convicted criminal Larry Ray during his 10 years of heinous crimes, so what sentence does she face now? He then dumped cold water on her and choked her with a plastic bag and pillow, Drury testified. Now that Rays fate has been sealed by the justice system, folks are wondering what consequences Isabella will also face. The president surprised and angered some Democrats by declining to veto a GOP effort to block a D.C. bill. 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. 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 . A U.S. District Court judge handed down the sentence to Isabella Pollok, 31, in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Thursday afternoon. She does not deserve jail time.. 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. Ray, who was sentenced to 60 years in prison in January, was introduced to his victims after moving into his daughters on-campus dorm at Sarah Lawrence College in 2010. Florida Republican Wants to Cancel Democrats Over Slavery. Felicia Rosario, Former Sarah Lawrence Sex-Cult Member, Has Taken Her Life Back. 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. Isabella did whatever Ray directed, they added. Ms. 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. Ray referred to Felicia Rosario as his "wife," though they were never married. So, where is she now, and what sentence does she face? It Sure Doesnt Seem Like Havana Syndrome Is Russias Fault. Larry Ray was sentenced to 60 years in prison for sex trafficking and other crimes involving his daughter and friends. 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. Law&Crime chronicled Rays case in a six-part narrative podcast series, Devil in the Dorm, exclusively available ad-free on Wondery+. Isabella had no identity when she met Ray, said David Bertan, one of Polloks attorneys no counter, no defenses for his manipulation. It wasnt long before Ray was sleeping with Pollok most nights. (Photo via DOJ). In her letter to the judge, Pollok blamed Ray for driving her to that point. Have something to tell us about this article? 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. Referring to the governments proposed five-year sentence, he added: To me, that sentence is vengeance, not justice.. Ray, who was sentenced to 60 years in prisonfor sex trafficking and racketeering in January, manipulated the students into believing he was a guru and convinced them that they had to repay him for committing crimes against him. She had faced a possible maximum of five years in prison, according to a plea agreement. I will live with the guilt forever., Unlike Ray, who had no family or friends in the courtroom gallery when his sentence was read, Polloks boyfriend sat a few rows behind her, as did her brother and aunt, who both flew in from Texas. Most importantly, though, per the federal prosecutors, she helped Larry channel $2.5 million from her once-roommate and friend. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. But, Isabellas guilty plea ended up throwing her for a loop. She was also Rays servant and sex partner, and, as prosecutors said in court in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday, his right hand in a decade-long criminal enterprise. Rosario testified Monday that near the end of his five years with the group, Ray ordered his alleged "lieutenant," Isabella Pollok, to punish Rosario and his sister Feliciawho had also been lured into the groupto wear diapers around Ray's Upper East Side apartment. We've received your submission. Isabella Pollok was Larry Ray 's daughter's best friend. The truth is she is a victim, albeit in a slightly different way, Bertan said. 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. Pollok later confessed to assisting Ray in trafficking her one-time friend and roommate, Claudia Drury, as well as laundering millions of dollars of illegal income. Distractify is a registered trademark. Victim and accomplice. She fetched a plastic bag for Ray to torture Drury, and a sex toy to aid in the public humiliation of another former roommate. I am not the same person who met [Larry] Ray over 10 years ago. 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. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Isabella Pollok and Felicia Rosario, both of whom . Polloks defense team said. [emailprotected], Law&Crime's managing editor Adam Klasfeld has spent more than a decade on the legal beat. At the Manhattan federal courthouse on Wednesday, US District Court Judge Lewis Liman said Polloks sophisticated scheme had involvedextreme and sadistic violence. Her attorneys described something akin to deprogramming. Isabella Pollok, 'Trusted Lieutenant' in Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult, Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison The fellow victim of Larry Ray's psychotic cult, who helped him abused other students, will serve . 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. Talia was good to me, I trusted her and her trust in him was enough, her letter states. He lured them off campus to a New York City apartment and collected those supposed debts through physical violence, psychological abuse and sexual exploitation for roughly a decade. Ultimately, Liman made clear that part of his mandate was to send a message of deterrence, no matter how unlikely it is that anyone will ever repeat Rays criminal enterprise. All rights reserved. Totally his fault., Isabella Pollok leaving a NYC courthouse with her attorney. Drury questioned her self-image. Shed initially pleaded not guilty. Pollok now faces a maximum five-year sentence and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the financial gain of her conspiracy. She was reportedly best friends with Talia, the daughter of prime accused Lawrence 'Larry' Ray. But she was no less a victim.. AUSA's first line:"On Oct. 16, 2018, Lawrence Ray went to a midtown motel. Your crime was an extremely serious one, Judge Lewis Liman told Pollock before handing down the 54-month sentence in Manhattan federal court. 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. Thanks for contacting us. In a tearful statement before she was sentenced, Pollok who will also be required to serve three years of supervised release after she completes her prison term said she supported Ray because he controlled me in ways I cannot understand.. Isabellas lack of cooperation with the FBI when the case originally came to light in 2019 is ostensibly the facet that drove them to suspect wrongdoing on her part, yet she wasnt indicted until 2021. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. 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. 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. Like most parents, Cynthia Pollok is standing by her daughters side through her current legal struggles. Your crime was an extremely serious one,Mr Liman told her, according to Law and Crime. Pollok grew close to Ray as he exterted control over the students, and had been both a victim and lieutenant of his offending, prosecutors said. 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. As damning as Polloks participation in Rays horrific abuse was, the sentencing hearing hardly provided the sense of clear moral victory felt after Rays sentence was announced. She did not comment as she left court Wednesday. King Charles Evicts Harry and Meghan From House They Dont Live In. Kate Bedingfield, Bidens Translator, Leaves the White House. 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 with the fiend as he carried out the abuse of a group of young people. It wasnt until witnessing this that I began to accept just how susceptible I was to being manipulated, she wrote. Shellow noted that there were red flags everywhere, including people who reported it to the school. 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, a victim of Sarah Lawrence College sex cult leader Larry Ray who later conspired with the fiend as he carried out abuse of a group of young people, will face sentencing in. They complied. Shed initially pleaded not guilty. 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. And while Isabella has taken some responsibility for her role concerning the sex cult, Cynthia believes that all the fault lies with Ray. 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. February 23, 2023. With the help and love of others I have freed myself from the past. I wish I had been able to view the world then as I do now. There is the awed protg. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Biden Chooses Crime Messaging Over D.C. Home Rule. "Witness interviews and evidence recovered during the investigation show parallels between the defendant's experience and that of the victims in this case.". 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 . . Larry Ray has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for using manipulation to extort millions from his victims. Like most parents, Cynthia Pollok is standing by her daughter's side through her current legal struggles. 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 . During a press conference, the mayor said his words about not believing in the separation of church and state were just his own beliefs. In 2010, Ray moved into his daughter Talia's student accommodation after being released from prison. While the situation seemed odd at first to . Nowhere is the lab-leak debate more personal than among the experts investigating the origins of COVID. 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.. Intro- Robert. At the time her seven housemates, including Pollok, didn't see the arrangement as an issuebut things took a dark turn. City to Pay Millions to Protesters Kettled by NYPD in 2020. (Photo via DOJ), Polloks story was unique, in part, because of the role she played in Drurys sexual exploitation. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? "While collecting money from her abused and trafficked college friends, the defendant was spending luxurious nights at the Pierre Hotel on the Upper East Side and buying expensive clothing, beauty products and high-end lingerie," prosecutors also wrote. During that time, Pollok became a top lieutenant to the fiend and collected cash from his victims, including Claudia Drury, a former Sarah Lawrence student whom Ray forced into prostitution. His co-counsel Jill R. Shellow struck a similar note. This wasnt true of Pollok, the prosecutor said. 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. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Lawrence convinced me that Claudia, Santos, Yali, Felicia and Dan poisoned me and were constantly trying to hurt me, just as he convinced them that they were doing these things.. Titled "The Stolen Kids of Sarah Lawrence," the piece exposed how then-50-year-old Lawrence Ray, the father of a Sarah Lawrence student, moved into his daughter's dorm and slowly isolated four of her friends: Daniel Levin, Santos Rosario, Isabella Pollok, and Claudia Drury. Isabella Pollok (31) omtales som lytnant i Lawrence Larry Rays voldelige skole-kult. Santos recalls how reclusive Pollok, reeling from a breakup, seemed "vibrant . Biden Dares Republicans to Go After Obamacare and Medicaid. I will live with the guilt forever I am ashamed. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. On September 7, 2022 she pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy. Isabella Pollok and Larry Ray (Photos via DOJ) 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 daughter's best friend. His reporting on the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell was featured on the Starz and Channel 4 documentary "Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell?" This story has been shared 126,899 times. How Pollok describes her childhood difficulties remains hidden under redactions, but her attorneys describe it as one of abuse and neglect.. When Larry Ray first came into the lives of his daughter Talia's college friends in 2010 he presented himself as a confidant, someone who could be trusted . 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. I already bought the tickets a month ago, and they sprang this on me yesterday, Cynthia told the outlet. Copyright 2023 Distractify. A co-conspirator of cult sex trafficker Larry Ray has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison. Have a tip or story idea? This story has been shared 135,794 times. Right-wing board to clamp down on woke ideology in cartoons. 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. [emailprotected], Law&Crime's managing editor Adam Klasfeld has spent more than a decade on the legal beat. 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. He began to counsel Isabella Pollok, Talia's best friend and, now, a co-defendant in the case. Claudia Drury described how Larry Ray manipulated and tortured her, and led her to prostitution in the Sarah Lawrence sex-cult case. 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. She did what Ray conditioned her to do, Shellow said. We've received your submission. Isabella Pollok, 31, must report to federal prison in 60 days, prosecutors said. 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. Former sex trafficking prosecutor Mitchell Epner, who is now a partner at the firm Rottenberg Lipman Rich PC, believed the judge walked an appropriate line of punishment.