A barbaric sex cult in America which subjected hundreds of girls to sex slavery. Prosecutors showed a biography that once appeared on a Nxivm website claiming Raniere attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute when he was 16 and immediately started taking graduate-level. Natalie and Raniere dated for the next eight years. Thank you to all of you! Classes by NXIVM had a number of idiosyncratic practices, described within the Rational Inquiry patent as "rules and rituals" and third-party sources as including: A 2018 documentary film directed by Alessandro Molatore showcases a purported study of the use of NXIVM's exploration of meaning technique to treat Tourette syndrome. He received 120 years, effectively life, in prison. [10][11] At its height, NXIVM had 700 active members. "[32] Sullivan filed notice of appeal on October 7, 2020. [281] Natalie and her then-husband became top sellers for the organization. [164][165][166], In a hearing on restitution claims against Raniere, criminal defense attorney Marc Fernich represented Keith Raniere and stated that Bronfman had paid his fee. Ames helped run SOP, or Society of Protectors, a fraternity-like group that NXIVM men could join. A mandala tattoo now covers the brand forced on her. Originally from its inception, the group was designed to help empower people, grow them spiritually as well as professionally. Discovery+. Ms. Mack, whose involvement in Nxivm boosted the cases profile, pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges related to her role in the organization. [159] She is presently imprisoned at Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury. citadel track and field schedule 2022; memorial toponyms example; Home Raniere paid a $40,000 fine and consented to a permanent ban from any chain distribution schemes. With two of the ringleaders of NXIVM now behind bars, grisly details are emerging that accuse Keith Raniere of running an oppressive sex cult . [195][196][197][198], The 2003 Forbes expos of NXIVM and Raniere showed that Raniere continued to make the claim of being the world's most intelligent man, with the addition of being "the most ethical. There are numerous reports that the cult at the center of HBO's new docuseries The Vow, NXIVM, is still active, despite its leader Keith Raniere's . Vicente testified against Raniere at his 2019 trial. In 2007, O'Hara was indicted by Albany County. The leader of NXIVM ran an all-male fraternity that later allowed women into the curriculum and used "horribly demeaning" tactics to humiliate them, according to testimony from a former member . Here's where other former and current NXIVM members and leaders are now. [80] In a 2010 Times Union article, former NXIVM coaches characterized students as "prey" for Raniere's sexual or gambling-related proclivities. Photo @bonniepiessephotography, A post shared by Mark Vicente (@markvicente) on Jun 22, 2020 at 5:32am PDTJun 22, 2020 at 5:32am PDT. NXIVM, pronounced NEKS-ee-m, was a multi-level marketing company- which is just what people call their pyramid schemes.However, many have also classified this pyramid scheme as a cult. Former members who were branded also allege that "AM," Mack's initials are also contained in the brands they received. NXIVM - which began, in 1998, as a " personal and professional development program" dubbed Executive Success Programs - was founded by computer programmer Keith Raniere and his business . In 2019, she plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy after stealing former members' identities, hacking into their emails, and altering video footage to avoid lawsuits against NXIVM. Today, I know I am a very lucky man. Oxenberg joined NXIVM on the recommendation of her mother, "Dynasty" actress Catherine Oxenberg, after she dropped out of college and felt lost about her next steps. [17], Following the New York Times expos, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York investigated the organization, and in 2018 brought criminal charges against Raniere, co-founder Nancy Salzman and her daughter Lauren, actress Allison Mack, Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman, and bookkeeper Kathy Russell. Natalie would subsequently claim to have been the victim of harassment. By Lauren Kranc Published: Oct 17, 2022 The mayor previously asked NFR to donate Parcel 0 but was refused. He started NXIVM in the 1990s in Albany, New York as a purported self-improvement group that then expanded across the country. Instead, he branded them with his initials and made them sex slaves", "Clare Bronfman Is Sentenced to 81 Months in Nxivm 'Sex Cult' Case", "Actor Allison Mack gets 3 years in NXIVM sex-slave case", "NXIVM Co-Founder Nancy Salzman Sentenced: 'I Am Horrified and Ashamed', "NXIVM's bookkeeper avoids jail time in sentencing", "Nxivm Member Avoids Prison After Helping to Convict Sex Cult Leader", "Where NXIVM Stands Two Years After Leader Keith Raniere's Arrest", "The Government's Sentencing Memorandum: As to Defendant Keith Raniere", "Keith Raniere, Leader of Nxivm Sex Cult, Is Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison", "Escaping NXIVM: Inside the secretive world of leader Keith Raniere", "Who is Keith Raniere? Library Library. 425.16", "NXIVM leader Raniere suing Arizona federal prison", "DEFENDANTS' RESPONSE TO MOTION FOR PRELIMARY INJUNCTION", "Order on Motion for Summary Judgment and Order on Motion to Dismiss", "Keith Raniere's case appears to be the product of manufactured evidence, according to FBI experts", "The Court of Appeals overlooks damning evidence of FBI corruption in the Keith Raniere case", "NXIVM founder Keith Raniere claims the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is trying to "silence" him for going public with his evidence tampering claim against the FBI in his 2019 conviction", "Impending Transfer from USP Tucson "clear retaliation" for continued legal efforts to clear my name, says Keith Raniere - The Village Voice", "Businesses Licensed Or In-Process By The City of Irvine", "A Cult Expert Tells Us Why the NXIVM Story Is Far from Over", "IJCAM - Introduction - Comparative Reflections on Scientology and NXIVM", "Janja Lalich: how normal people end up in cults like NXIVM", "NXIVM turned Lake George resort into annual Raniere birthday jamboree", "United States v. Keith Raniere - Detention Memo", "Blast from the past: Complete text from 1988 Times Union article about Raniere and his take-home IQ test", "Univision's timeline of Keith Raniere's life", "NXIVM: Keith Raniere said swallowing his semen made women see blue lights | The Underground Bunker", "When We Exposed Keith Raniere, The Leader Of The Nxivm 'Sex Cult', "Did Asimov inspire Raniere to be 'the mule'? [172] Judge Sunshine Sykes granted the motion, dismissing the lawsuit and granting Lions Gate Entertainment's request for attorneys' fees and costs. Posted on March 4, 2022 by March 4, 2022 by by saying they would be part of a female mentorship program. She also wrote a memoir. The NXIVM scandal was going to be unavoidable. Mack was arrested on April 20, 2018, on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy. The1,270-square-foot property is currently listed as owned by Raniere's longtime girlfriend . [171], In reply, Lions Gate Entertainment made a special motion to strike the lawsuit pursuant to the California Anti-SLAPP statute. [145] Attorneys for Raniere submitted letters from 56 supporters requesting leniency for Raniere. "[213] Some members of NXIVM's inner circle were reportedly taught that, in past lives, they were high-ranking Nazis. They were especially upset by remarks made by Bronfman, who told Forbes that he believed NXIVM was a cult and that he was troubled by his daughters' "emotional and financial investment" in it. nxivm website archive By on July 1, 2021 Publication date. I have been moulded in hot fire; stretched, folded, pounded, shaped and reshaped. Senator Chuck Schumer, and Albany Times Union publisher George Randolph Hearst III in a box in the basement of Nancy Salzman's home. [192][193] Although the MEGA test has been widely criticized as not having been properly validated, the 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records (the last to include a category for highest IQ[194]) described the Hoeflin Research Group as "the most exclusive ultrahigh IQ society", and the 1989 Australian edition identified Raniere, Marilyn vos Savant, and Eric Hart as the highest-scoring members of the group. Raniere was convicted of sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor in June 2019. [226][227], Edgar Boone, the scion of a wealthy family, introduced NXIVM to numerous affluent Mexicans, becoming head of NXIVM-Mexico and rising to third in the NXIVM organization. [158], Bronfman initially served her sentence in Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia. A federal appeals court Friday upheld the convictions and sentences for NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere and his co-conspirator, Seagram's liquor heiress Clare Bronfman. [42][270], Barbara Bouchey was a client of Nancy Salzman, having been referred to her in 1988. "[157], Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., attorney for Bronfman, called the sentence "an abomination. [29][99] He was arrested in Mexico and held in custody in New York after appearing in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas. [57][58][59] Ross posted a psychiatrist's assessment of NXIVM's "secret" manual on his website that called the regimen "expensive brainwashing". Found guilty at jury trial of all charges including: Pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, Pleaded guilty to conspiring to conceal and harbor an undocumented immigrant for financial gain, and fraudulent use of identification, Pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, Act 1: Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft, Conspiracy to Unlawfully Possess an Identification Document, Act 2, 3: Sexual Exploitation of a Child (separate acts against the same victim), Act 5: Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft; Identity Theft (two separate victims), Act 6: Conspiracy to Alter Records for Use in an Official Proceeding, Act 7: Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft, Act 8: Trafficking for Labor and Services; Document Servitude, Act 11: Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft, $1.75 million in fines due to the United States Government, Monetary restitution from Raniere of $3.46 million to twenty-one victims, "All lower-ranking members of DOS are victims of the wire fraud conspiracy in which the Defendant participated. It was led by Keith Raniere who earlier ran a multi-marketing company, Consumers Buyline, which was shut down by some 20 Attorneys General for being a pyramid scheme. Reviews Tighe's home was raided by the New York State Police, and his computer was seized. The NXIVM Files These are the essays the NXIVM cult (aka ESP, or Executive Success Program) is suing Rick Ross over, trying to have their publication suppressed. [51][66][103][104][105] On April 24, Mack was released on $5 million bond pending trial and held under house arrest with her parents in California. Clare Bronfman was arrested by federal agents on July 24, 2018, in New York City and charged with money laundering and identity theft in connection with NXIVM activities. In October 2013, Odato was named in a lawsuit filed by NXIVM, along with Suzanna Andrews of Vanity Fair and blogger John J. Tighe; all had written critically of the group. The mysterious group NXIVM has been covered in newspapers, Lifetime movies, and magazine exposs. [56][44], NXIVM claimed its training is a trade secret, subject to non-disclosure agreements, but reportedly uses a technique the organization calls "rational inquiry" to facilitate personal and professional development. [185] When comparing the distinctions between cults and religions, cult expert Janja Lalich stated: "A legitimate religion is going to have you worshipping a higher source. I am so grateful to my Mother, who is still with me. [116][117][118] She agreed, as nominal owner, not to contest forfeiture of NXIVM-related assets including real estate as well as corporations that owned Keith Raniere and NXIVM's trademark and patent portfolio. Full of feelings, fire, piss and vinegar, longing, joy, laughter, humor and gratitude. Edmondson alleged that participants were blindfolded naked, held down by Mack and three other women, and branded by NXIVM-affiliated doctor Danielle Roberts, using a cauterizing pen. The facility in Tucson, Arizona is noted as the sole facility in the federal prison system that is both specially-designated for sex offenders and also at maximum-security level. [101][102] United States Attorney Richard Donoghue stated that Raniere "created a secret society of women whom he had sex with and branded with his initials, coercing them with the threat of releasing their highly personal information and taking their assets". Steely resolve and passion. Raniere who officially founded NXIVM in 1998 alongside nurse and hypnotist Nancy Salzman had his followers refer to him as "Vanguard.". [200] Raniere instructed one sexual partner to seek out a virgin because he needed a "pure vessel" for reasons "energy-related and DNA-wise."[201]. How NXIVM Seduced Hollywood Stars and America's Most Powerful Elite Into a Barbaric 'Sex Cult' Season Two of HBO's The Vow will follow the downfall of the organization and its leaders. Vietnam - France joint website of archive photos launched. [127], The federal trial of Keith Raniere began on May 7, 2019. [81] Kristin Keeffe, a longtime partner of Raniere and mother of his child, left the group in 2014 and called Raniere "dangerous", saying, "[a]ll the worst things you know about NXIVM are true. It did not cure my Tourettes in any way. Nxivm, pronounced "nexium", is a group that started in 1998 as a self-help programme and says it has worked with more than 16,000 people including the son of a former Mexican president and. Mr. Raniere and Nancy Salzman, a former psychiatric nurse, founded Nxivm (pronounced NEX-ee-um) as a purported self-help organization near Albany, N.Y. were subjected to punishments, including being whipped with a leather strap or being asked to stand barefoot in the snow. [160], On October 27, 2020, federal judge Nicholas Garaufis sentenced Raniere to a prison term of 120 years (effectively a life sentence) in prison and fined him $1.75 million. This is where current and former NXIVM members, including top-ranking executives and Raniere's former sex slaves, are now. Mr. Raniere has accused Judge Garaufis of corruption and has demanded a new trial, which the judge has denied twice. test". Former NXIVM member Sarah Edmondson describes being branded with sex cult leader Keith Raniere's initials during a secret initiation ceremony. They meet furtively in underground parking lots, target. Salzman is awaiting her sentencing, which was postponed due to the pandemic. Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. [121][122][123], Sentencing documents for Allison Mack state that she entered proffer sessions on April 2, 2019. Once she realized she'd been brainwashed, Oxenberg turned over flash-drive evidence to the FBI that proved the brands contained Raniere's initials. Nancy Salzman was scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2019. He then asked her questions about her sexual history while another person performed oral sex on her, she said. Piesse is also featured in "The Vow," and continues to pursue music. [149] The group began calling itself "The Forgotten Ones" and "We Are As You." February 15, 2023 by en.vietnamplus.vn. Wrote Littlefield: "This matter smacks of a jilted fellow's attempt at revenge or retaliation against his former girlfriend, with many attempts at tripping her up along the way. Several young actresses allegedly get brainwashed to serve a charismatic cult leader. After multiple members left the group, pressed charges, and spoke out for a 2017 New York Times expos of the group, Raniere fled to Mexico where he was arrested in 2018. Edmondson, a Vancouver-based actress, was part of NXIVM for 15 years, and joined when she felt her acting career was at a standstill and was feeling lost. And yet, I could say this particular existential marker has been going on for 3 years: Help bring about Justice (check) Lose MANY cherished people I care about Turn my life upside down Regain my soul But, there are gifts to these challenges and I am SO grateful. Deep, profound, insightful and loving. [12], Over its existence, former members and families of NXIVM clients alarmed by Raniere's behavior and NXIVM's practices spoke to investigative journalists of Forbes, Vanity Fair, The New York Observer, and the Times Union of Albany calling the organization a "cult". [42][43][44] Raniere claimed that its "main emphasis is to have people experience more joy in their lives". The indictment alleges that Raniere and his co-defendants comprised an organized racketeering enterprise by recruiting others into NXIVM and DOS for financial and personal benefits and committed crimes ranging from sex trafficking to forced labor and visa and wire fraud. [219] In 2006, Raniere founded Rainbow Cultural Garden, an international chain of childcare organizations in which children were to be exposed to seven different languages.[220]. Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges in April 2019, and was to be sentenced in September 2019. Edmondson regularly sees a therapist to work through the trauma she endured during her time with the cult. [249][250][251], Nicki Clyne is a Canadian actress known for her role on the series Battlestar Galactica. [191], Well before co-founding NXIVM, Keith Raniere made fantastical claims about his intelligence. They seemed to be losing an unhealthy amount of weight and restricting their caloric intake, Piesse said in "The Vow.". A small number of NXIVM members continue to support Raniere and protest his innocence. [167] On December 9, 2022, the federal appeals court upheld the convictions and sentences for Keith Raniere and Clare Bronfman. You're not expected to worship the living being in front of you or the writings of some living being." Ms. Bronfman pleaded guilty to two charges related to identity theft and immigration fraud. Bronfman was previously charged with racketeering, which she denied, in 2018. She didn't know exactly what was wrong, but her gut told her to leave, so she did. I am sorry I ever exposed you to the nefarious and emotionally abusive schemes of a twisted man, she wrote, adding, I feel a heavy weight of guilt for having misused your trust.. In October, Keith Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison for his role in leading a cultlike group called Nxivm, in which a harem of sexual slaves were branded with his initials on their pelvises and coerced into having sex with him. There is no greater privilege than to materialize myself. Have you heard of NXIVM? August 20, 2020. [150][151], While incarcerated, Raniere has maintained his leadership role over NXIVM, regularly communicating with his followers by phone and through TRULINCS email. Allison Mack is an American actress known for her role on the series Smallville. . It was later revealed that the District Attorney had allowed Raniere's girlfriend Kristin Keeffe to operate within its office as a sort of victims' advocate. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. ", "Revelan video de Emiliano Salinas bailando en celebracin a Keith Raniere", "Self-help guru denies enslaving, branding women in Nxivm sex cult", "Leader of alleged cult that ensnared Vancouver woman appears in court", "Feds say self-help guru coerced followers into sex, had them branded with a cauterizing pen", "NXIVM female sex 'slaves' allegedly branded with secretive group leader's initials", "Founder of 'NXIVM', a Purported Self-Help Organization, and Actor Indicted for Sex Trafficking and Forced Labor Conspiracy", "Smallville Actress Arrested for Role in Alleged Sex Cult that Branded and Enslaved Women", "Smallville's Allison Mack was allegedly a 'top member' of cult that abused women", "Allison Mack of 'Smallville' granted bail in sex cult case", "Allison Mack granted bail in sex trafficking case", "Self-help guru denies enslaving, branding women in sex cult", "Raniere, Mack appear in court on sex-slavery charges", "Trial date set for Keith Raniere and Allison Mack", "Foreclosure Complaint Reveals NXIVM Sex Cult Rituals In Upstate New York", "NXIVM suspends all operations; founder's bail denied", "Clare Bronfman, Seagram's heiress, arrested in Nxivm sex-trafficking case", "Seagram's heiress Clare Bronfman charged in connection with alleged sex cult NXIVM Bronfman and five others accused of racketeering related to operations of a cult-like pyramid group", "Self-help guru Raniere faces U.S. child porn charges; associate pleads guilty", "Nxivm co-founder Nancy Salzman pleads guilty in sex cult case", "Leader of alleged NXIVM sex cult pleads not guilty to child porn charges", "Spiritual leader of alleged NY sex cult hit with child porn charges", "Federal prosecutors recommend leniency in high-ranking NXIVM sentencing", "Smallville star Allison Mack pleads guilty to racketeering in Nxivm case", "SENTENCING MEMORANDUM by USA as to Allison Mack", "Actress Who Recruited Women for Nxivm Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison", "Clare Bronfman Pleads Guilty in Nxivm 'Sex Cult' Case, Leaving Leader to Stand Trial Alone", "NXIVM trial prosecution's opening statements lasted ninety minutes", "Supplemental Sentencing Statement & Order as to Keith Raniere", "Seagram's heir sentenced to prison in branded sex slave case", "Prominent NXIVM cult leader Lauren Salzman avoids jail time after 'extraordinary' cooperation", "NXIVM Co-Founder Nancy Salzman, Featured in 'The Vow' Docuseries, Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison", "Judge hands down final sentence in NXIVM case", "3 years after Raniere's arrest, NXIVM divides into victims, loyalists, guilty", "LETTERS OF SUPPORT ACCOMPANYING SENTENCING MEMORANDUM ON BEHALF OF KEITH RANIERE", "Nxivm leadership accused of illegal psychological experiments and systematic abuse in federal lawsuit", "Docket for Edmondson v. Raniere, 1:20-cv-00485 - CourtListener.com", "Podcast: NXIVM members dance outside federal lockup for Keith Raniere", "Dancers outside Brooklyn jail are 'cover movement' for Nxivm sex cult", "Brooklyn Prison Dancers Linked to 'Sex Cult' NXIVM Start Social Justice Organization", "Exhibit D, Response in Opposition re: 7 First Motion for Preliminary Injunction", "NXIVM Cult Leader's Jailhouse Call to Disciples: 'The Judge Needs to Know He's Being Watched', "Raniere, facing possible life sentence, wants judge to know 'he's being watched', "Government's Sentencing Memorandum as to Defendant Keith Raniere", "Exhibit D, Sentencing Memorandum by USA as to Keith Raniere", "Sentencing Memorandum as to Clare Bronfman", "Seagrams heiress keeps paying as NXIVM's Keith Raniere adds big-name lawyers", "Raniere in Quarantine in USP Lewisburg PA; Likely Headed for Sex Offender Prison in Tucson Next", "Leader of New York sex cult transferred to federal prison in Tucson", "Larry Nassar now housed in Arizona prison", "Oral Argument for United States v. Raniere (Bronfman) CourtListener.com", "NXIVM 'Cult' Founder Keith Raniere Loses Appeal of 120-Year Sentence Following Sex Trafficking Convictions", "Appeals court upholds sentences for NXIVM sex cult leaders Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman", "NXIVM loyalist files $12 million suit against Starz network", "Former Epstein lawyer drops out of appeal for NXIVM leader Raniere", "NOTICE OF MOTION AND SPECIAL MOTION TO STRIKE FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT PURSUANT TO C.C.P.