Kriti Mehrotra
As originals that live up to their title from every conceivable angle, Peacock’s ‘Sex, Lies, and the College Cult’ and Hulu’s ‘Stolen Youth’ can only be described as equal parts haunting as well as riveting. That’s because it meticulously charts the way Larry Ray began an abusive cult shortly after moving into his daughter’s dorm at Sarah Lawrence College, just not to be caught for nearly a decade. 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 — we’ve got you covered.
Who is Isabella Pollok?
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 Ray’s father, only for their bond to soon evolve into much more. 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. The fact she was recently single reportedly played a significant role in the situation as well, especially as Larry was then able to step up to help her “process and make sense of a lot of things.”
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. 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. That’s why Larry gradually started referring to Isabella as his wife, which soon made it clear she was not his victim (as initially suspected) but rather his co-conspirator in every sense of the term.
Isabella Pollok is Now in Prison
Isabella’s 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 wasn’t indicted until 2021. 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. After all, she’d 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.
According to reports, Isabella once forced a brother-sister duo to wear diapers around her partner’s Manhattan apartment, and she further had a hand in inflicting other forms of torture on different 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. It’s 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.
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. The then-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.” Her sentencing hearing was scheduled for February 22, 2023, and although she faced a maximum penalty of five years plus $250,000 in fines, she was sentenced to a total of 54 months. Therefore, today, at 32, she is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution-Tallahassee in Florida, where she’s expected to remain until November 4, 2025.
Read More: Where Is Larry Ray’s Cult Survivor Claudia Drury Now?
