Grad Admits Role As 'Lieutenant' In Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult: Report

YONKERS, NY — Initially treated as a victim of sex trafficker and cult leader Lawrence Ray, former Sarah Lawrence College student Isabella Pollok has admitted to her role as "trusted lieutenant" in the criminal enterprise with origins in a school dorm room.

Isabella Pollok entered a guilty plea on Wednesday to federal conspiracy charges connected to the so-called "Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult," according to the Associated Press. In 2021, federal prosecutors charged Pollok with a slew of charges, including racketeering conspiracy, extortion conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy and money laundering.

Pollok admitted that she worked with Ray, the 62-year-old father of her college roommate, to groom their victims and exploit them for financial gain.

While Pollock was initially believed to be among Ray’s victims, she was, in fact, a "trusted lieutenant" according to prosecutors.

“I know that what I was doing was wrong and against the law,” Pollok told a judge on Wednesday, as initially reported by the New York Times.

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Ray was convicted following a Manhattan trial during which jurors heard weeks of testimony from witnesses who detailed his psychological manipulation of the young people he first met at Sarah Lawrence, starting in 2010. The jury returned guilty verdicts on each of 15 counts after deliberating for just four hours.

“Twelve years ago, Larry Ray moved into his daughter’s dorm room at Sarah Lawrence College," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said of Ray earlier this year. "And when he got there, he met a group of friends who had their whole lives ahead of them. For the next decade, he used violence, threats, and psychological abuse to try to control and destroy their lives. He exploited them. He terrorized them. He tortured them. Let me be very clear. Larry Ray is a predator. An evil man who did evil things. Today’s verdict finally brings him to justice. This verdict would not have been possible without the victims who testified in court. We are in awe of their bravery in the face of incredible trauma."

Ray forced one student to engage in commercial sex acts to pay damages to him that she did not actually owe.

According to the victim's testimony, beginning when she was just a college student, she was groomed by Ray and he collected sexually explicit photos and other personal information which he then used to coerce her into prostitution. He also used physical violence, tying her to a chair, placing a plastic bag over her head and nearly suffocating her. Federal prosecutors said Pollok participated in the night of brutal torture and also helped funnel $2.5 million from the victim to Ray.

Pollok initially entered a guilty plea, but has since accepted a plea-bargain with federal prosecutors. She faces a maximum of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines when she is sentenced next year.