SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Sept 7 – Larry
Ray was found
guilty of
sexual
exploitation,
prostitution,
forced labor
and money
laundering on
April 2, 2022.
Inner City
Press live
tweeted the
verdicthere
and below. And see book, here.
On September 7,
Ray's co-defendant Isabella
Pollok pleaded guilty with a
maximum sentence of five
years, to conspiracy to commit
money laundering. The charge,
and her allocution, did not
mention sex trafficking. But
the prosecutors emphasized
that sex trafficking was a
part of the sentencing
guideline.
Does that
mean Pollok, who participated
in the smothering of Claudia
Drury to make her continue to
prostitute herself, will not
have a register as a sex
offender? Inner City Press at
the end of the proceeding put
the question to Pollok's
lawyer, without answer. It
live tweeted the plea
proceeding, here:
OK - Pollok is at
defense table in a dark suit,
with 2 lawyers. As Inner City
Press reported, she's worked
at Amazon warehouse on Staten
Island - with ankle bracelet.
There are
13 people in the courtroom
gallery, 3 masked, all or
nearly all of us media. When
we're the victims notified?
All rise!
Judge Liman: Tell me about the
plea agreement. AUSA: It's a
pleasure to conspiracy, money
laundering. The stipulated
guideline is 60 months.
Judge
Liman: To your plea deal, does
the Adam Walsh Act apply?
AUSA: No. [So far, no question
has been asked about victims'
rights. Then again, the way
they structured the plea, the
only victim is "the United
States."
Judge: Your
education? Pollok: Sarah
Lawrence College in
Westchester County. Judge: Any
mental treatment?
Pollok: (Pause)
In 2009 and 2014. Judge: Are
you being treated for
anything? Pollok: ADHD
Note: per
trial evidence, Pollok was
present for all night torture
of Claudia Drury. "Money
laundering"
Ritual
Q&A elicits that her full
name is Isabella Constance
Pollok. She's now 31. Out by
36, if not sooner.
AUSA:
Remember forfeiture. Judge: Of
proceeds traceable to the
offense. [No amount is stated]
Judge: The plea
agreement is 6 pages and will
be returned to the prosecutors
for safe keeping. 60 months is
the max.
Judge: Tell
me what you did. Pollok
(reading) I agreed with
Lawrence Ray to laundering
money from extortion. [This
allocation does not mention
sex crimes nor (forced)
prostitution]
Cynical
footnote: Isabella Pollok's
plea deal and allocation do
not mention sex trafficking.
But AUSA says the guidelines
are based on sex trafficking.
Hmm.
Sentencing
not until February 22, 2023 at
11 am. Still no mention of
victims (unlike, for example,
in UN rapist Elkorany's plea,
which Inner City Press is also
covering. Adjourned.
I asked
Pollok's lawyer if she'll have
to register as a sex offender
under SORNA. That, he didn't
answer.
Ray's sentencing
was supposed to be on
September 16. But on August
11, Ray's Federal Defender
wrote in to request a full 90
day delay, citing "COVID
infections and lockdowns at
the MDC." Many in the MDC have
not had their sentencings
delayed.
On August 12,
Judge Liman ordered:
"Set/Reset Hearings as to
Lawrence Ray: Sentencing set
for 12/1/2022 at 10:30 AM in
Courtroom 15C, 500 Pearl
Street, New York, NY 10007
before Judge Lewis J. Liman."
On September 6,
this went into the docket:
"NOTICE OF HEARING as to
Isabella Pollok: A Plea
hearing is scheduled for
September 7, 2022 at 10:00 AM
in Courtroom 15C, 500 Pearl
Street, New York, NY 10007
before Judge Lewis J. Liman."
What will be the plea deal?
Watch this site.
On August 30,
Ray's tribulations in the MDC,
video screen sharing needed to
review Pre-Sentencing Report:
"Dear Judge Liman: We write,
as counsel for Lawrence Ray in
the above-captioned matter, to
update the Court on our
ability to meet with Mr. Ray
to discuss the draft of his
presentence report and submit
any response to Probation.
Currently, our response to
Probation is due on August 31.
Unfortunately, an individual
in Mr. Ray’s unit tested
positive for COVID and the
unit was placed on quarantine,
preventing our planned legal
visits to review the draft. We
schedule a video conference
for Thursday, August 25, to do
so, but were informed that
morning by the MDC that its
video equipment was not
working and we would only be
able to speak with Mr. Ray via
telephone. Although we had
mailed Mr. Ray a copy of the
draft report, the MDC had not
provided him with the copy, so
we were unable effectively to
review the document over the
phone without the benefit of
screen sharing." Full letter
on Patreon here. Watch this
site.
When Larry
Ray was arraigned on charges
of sexual exploitation,
prostitution, forced labor and
money laundering on February
12, 2020 he was wearing prison
blues and still had a Federal
Defender, but no financial
affidavit to have FD
appointed. Twitter theadette;
More on Patreon here.
On March 29, the
funneling by Ray of Clauria
Drury prostitution money into
North Carolina politics
emerged, and Inner City Press
began researching and asking,
below
On March
9, 2022, the jury for Larry
Ray was picked, by his five
Federal Defenders and three
prosecutors, on the robing
room of Judge Lewis J. Liman.
Inner City Press live tweeted,
thread here
(podcast here)
On March 10 Inner
City Press live
tweeted the
opening
statements, here
(podcast here)
Then the first
substantive witness, live
tweeted here.
On Day 2 of the
trial, March 11, Santos
Rosario continued on direct
examination, Inner City Press
live tweeted it here
(morning vlog here)
On Day 3 of the
trial, March 14, Santo Rosario
finished his direct and the
cross began. Inner City Press
live-tweeted here
(morning vlog here)
Day 4 of the
trial started late - Larry Ray
had a seizure, resulting in
cancelation of the trial on
March 16 and 17 - but then got
into troubling videos and a
question. Inner City Press
live tweeted here
(morning vlog here)
On March 18 the
trial continued, with Claudia
Drury on the stand. Inner City
Press live tweeted here
(vlog here)
On March 21 the
trial continued - then broke
at 11 am, again. Inner City
Press live tweeted it, here.
[The US
Attorney's Office had put in
an exhibit, cult articles on
Ray's laptop, on Patreon here]
On March 22,
Claudia Drury continued on
direct examination, getting
into her Backpage business for
Larry Ray and describing a
client as creepy. Inner City
Press live tweeted here.
On March 24,
after a day off for seizure,
Drury continued on the stand.
Inner City Press live tweeted
it here.
On March 25
another John was outed, this
time with immunity: editor
Randy Levinson. Inner City
Press live tweeted it, now
#JohnListGone song here.
On March 28,
another Larry Ray victim took
the witness stand: Felicia
Rosario. Inner City Press live
tweeted here:
On March 29, Felicia Rosario remained
on the stand and testified about sending
Claudia Drury prostitution money to a North
Carolina candidate that Talia Ray was campaign
manager for. Not named in the trial, but found
in research: it was Lowell Simon. Isabella
Pollok and Gordon Ray gave him $5000 too - did
Simon only hire Talia Ray to get these
prostitution funds? And, Felicia Rosario sent
over $10,000 in prostitution funds to the NC
Democratic Party, see below. Thread here.
On March 30, after
testimony about how few GoDaddy domain
names Ray sold, Upper East Side
doorman Carlos Pagan testified.
Inner City Press live tweeted
here.
On March 31 as the US case came
to rest, a slew of exhibits
through
Agent McGuire, Inner City
Press live tweeted here.
On April
1, the US rested
then grilled,
along with Judge
Liman, Ray's
former lawyer
Glenn Ripa. Inner
City Press live
tweeted it here.
On April 4
after Ripa,
the US gave
its closing.
Inner City
Press live
tweeted here.
On
April 5, the
defense
closing went
after Claudia
Drury and the
AUSA countered
with the word slut,
drawing a
curative
instruction before
the legal
instructions.
Inner City
Press live
tweeted here.
On
April 6, Ray
was found
guilty of
sexual
exploitation,
prostitution,
forced labor
and money
laundering on
April 2, 2022.
Inner City
Press live
tweeted the
verdicthere
OK - it's
on. Judge Liman: Jury
wrote at 1:45 pm, we have
reached out verdicts. Shall I
bring them in? Federal
Defender: We have a pending
motion for a mistrial! Judge
Liman: Government? AUSA: Let's
take the verdict.
Judge Liman: We convert
it into a motion for a
re-trial, assuming the verdict
is guilty. I deny your motion
for reasons I'll elaborate on
later. With that, any reason
not to bring the jury in? FD:
No. Judge Liman: Mr. Fishman,
please bring the jury in.
Jury entering! Judge Liman:
Juror Number 5, you are the
foreperson. Please hand up the
verdict. Deputy: How to you
find Lawrence Ray on Count 1?
Juror 5: Guilty. And Counts 2
through 9: GUILTY Inner City
Press @innercitypress · 3h
Deputy: Counts 10, 11, 12, 13,
14 and 15? Foreperson: GUILTY
on all.
Jurors leave. Judge Liman:
Sentencing will be September
16 at 2 pm. Anything else? No.
Coming soon - a book(let)
[What follow up has there been in North
Carolina
to the money laundering shown through Lowell
Simon and Act Blue / the NC Democratic
Party?]
Back on
April 28, 2021, there was a
suppression hearing about his
arrest and questioning. Inner
City Press live tweeted it here
and below.
On December
22 Ray's Federal Defenders
requested a jury questionnaire
citing adverse publicity "not
only in traditional media
outlets." But the next
sections contains redactions,
after the words "Community
Bookstore live, and apparently
of a URL, because it contains
a name. But how then is it
confidential?
On
February 4, the Federal
Defenders wrote to Judge Lewis
J. Liman that "the attorney
client relationship between
Mr. Ray and his defense team
has irreparably broken down...
Mr. Ray requests that the
Court appoint new counsel."
This was heard on February 10,
without the previously
available call-in line (unlike
a February 4 Coinbase oral
argument on which the line was
opened).
On March 7 in
Courtroom 24B, Judge Liman
informed the parties that he
will not tell the jurors about
sexual grooming, finding it
incorporated in sexual
manipulation.
Ray's
lawyers said they'd like the
jurors unmasked, so their
faces can be seen. They cited
NYC Mayor Eric Adams on March
7 eliminating masking
requirments except on the
subway. Judge Liman said his
previous ruling requiring
masks stands.
While
Inner City Press always likes
counsel asserting the public's
right to access, it is ironic
because the Federal Defenders
are arguing
to SDNY Judge John P. Cronan,
and now the 2d Circuit, that
the financial affidavit of
"Dirty Doc" Cruciani should be
sealed, despite Inner City
Press' requests as in Avenatti
and Correia, here.
On October 20,
Judge Liman granted severance:
"ORDER as to Lawrence Ray,
Isabella Pollok. It is hereby
ORDERED that the proposed
schedule appearing at Dkt. No.
219, setting forth the
deadlines related to expert
witnesses in the case United
States v. Ray,
20-cr-110-LJL-1, is APPROVED.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that,
for the reasons stated by the
Court on the record at the
October 19, 2021, Status
Conference, the motion of
Isabella Pollok for a
continuance is GRANTED and the
trials of Lawrence Ray and
Isabella Pollok are severed,
with Isabella Pollok's trial
to begin on July 18, 2022."
The case is US v.
Ray, 20-cr-110 (Liman).
***
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a
month helps keep us going and grants you
access to exclusive bonus material on our
Patreon page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag
Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2022 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com for
,
