Lawrence Krauss → unnamed volunteer for Center for Inquiry D.C.
Event Description
In November 2006, at a Center for Inquiry event in Washington D.C., Lawrence Krauss met a CFI D.C. volunteer, requested her business card, followed her as she was leaving, asked if she was 'of age,' and later emailed an invitation to dinner. At a Washington D.C. hotel restaurant, Krauss told her to come to his room first to finish work. In the room, he ordered cheese plate and champagne despite her dinner suggestion, made a close comment about her eye makeup, lifted her by the arms, pushed her onto a bed, forcibly kissed her, attempted to pull down her tights crotch, and made a statement: 'When I was in college I could never get a girl that looked like you.' She struggled to push him off.
Quoted Evidence
“You lifted her by her arms, and pushed her onto the bed beneath you, forcibly kissing her and trying to pull down the crotch of her tights... She struggled to push you off her... 'When I was in college I could never get a girl that looked like you.'”
Trafficking Assessment
Likelihood
73%
Confidence
88%
Thread Prior
72%
Indicators
Reasoning
While this alleged incident is primarily characterized as sexual assault, it exhibits multiple trafficking-related indicators: deliberate isolation, age-verification of a vulnerable unnamed individual, use of alcohol to lower resistance, physical coercion, and predatory grooming language. The systematic nature of the approach (business card → follow → isolation → escalation) suggests deliberate exploitation tactics. Though the case lacks evidence of commercial sex or third-party trafficking networks, the coercive control, isolation, and targeting of a young woman in a subordinate position align with exploitation indicators relevant to trafficking analysis.
Metadata
Date
2006-11-01 to 2006-11-30(approximate)
Location
Washington, D.C., United States(explicit)
Thread
URGENT: BuzzFeed News inquiry re allegations of sexual harassment
IMAGES-006-HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021...