When former NXIVM members left the organization and spoke about the manipulation tactics its leaders used, they were oftenbombarded with lawsuits. 227K views 2 years ago Keith Raniere is days away from being sentenced on federal charges related to NXIVM, the group he founded that prosecutors call "cult-like." Raniere spoke out from prison. 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 . [146], In January 2020, Sarah Edmondson became lead plaintiff in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act civil suit filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York accusing Raniere and 14 associates (including Nancy Salzman, Clare Bronfman, Sara Bronfman, Lauren Salzman, Allison Mack, Kathy Russell, Karen Unterreiner, Brandon Porter, Danielle Roberts, and Nicki Clyne) of conducting illegal psychological experiments on members of the company and abusing them physically, emotionally and financially. [84][85] The Knife of Aristotle was subsequently described as a fake news website and a cult. Nxivm website archive. NXIVM operated a number of businesses that it used to control its members, forcing many to work up to 23 hours a day for no pay. On Wednesday, Allison Mack, an actress who pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy charges for her role in Nxivm, was sentenced to three years in prison. [75][91] Edmondson further appeared in "Escaping NXIVM", during the first season of the CBC podcast Uncover. test". A barbaric sex cult in America which subjected hundreds of girls to sex slavery. In her decision, Judge Sykes found that the documentary did "imply that Plaintiff was a devoted member of an organization whose leader has been implicated in a range of serious sexual crimes, but this assertion however unflattering is substantially true. [249][250][251], Nicki Clyne is a Canadian actress known for her role on the series Battlestar Galactica. [149] The group began calling itself "The Forgotten Ones" and "We Are As You." NXIVM operated purported self-help programs based in Albany, New York, which attracted millionaires and Hollywood stars including Oxenberg, who said she attended her first meeting with her. [150][151], While incarcerated, Raniere has maintained his leadership role over NXIVM, regularly communicating with his followers by phone and through TRULINCS email. [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. On the other hand, a non-Luciferian will feel sympathetic and empathize with the unfortunate skater. 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. [4][5] The United States seized ownership of NXIVM related entities and their intellectual property through asset forfeiture following Raniere's conviction. Former NXIVM member turned prosecution witness Mark Vicente dismissed the group as a "cover movement" for support of Raniere. Though they initially claimed to be entertaining all of the detainees, they were seen with a sign addressed to "Kay Rose," a name sharing Raniere's initials. "[228], The purported treatment for Tourette syndrome was noted by one reporter as not having been tested in a scientific peer-reviewed setting. [47], During NXIVM seminars, students would call Raniere and Salzman "Vanguard" and "Prefect", respectively. ", "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. Former members who were branded also allege that "AM," Mack's initials are also contained in the brands they received. In 2001, she began a secret sexual relationship with Raniere, and later helped him recruit women to DOS and run the sorority. Salzman broke her allegiance to Raniere for a shorter sentencing, Esquire reported. [272], Kristin Keeffe became Raniere's partner in the early 1990s. C-SPAN receives no funding from any government. Critics faced retaliation and lawsuits, creating an internal culture with no tolerance for dissent. But NXIVM, the Albany-based corporation founded by Raniere and Nancy Salzman in 1998, seems to have been truly adept at weaponizing the human desire to storify our lives. Much of "The Vow" focuses on her mother's quest to rescue Oxenberg from the cult. Vicente, her husband, asked her to give her career another chance after taking NXIVM self-help courses. Unlike the Luciferian, a non-Luciferian's neurophysiological processes will not register as pleasure for this stimulus. 9-8-2021. 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. According to prosecutors, after she recruited women into first NXIVM and then DOS, Mack coerced them into engaging in sexual activity with Raniere and performing menial tasks, for which Raniere allegedly paid her. Sources. [65], After actress Kristin Kreuk became involved with NXIVM in 2006, Salzman and her daughter Lauren, a junior NXIVM leader,[44] went to Vancouver to recruit Kreuk's Smallville co-star Allison Mack. It did not cure my Tourettes in any way. Here's where she is today. Piesse is also featured in "The Vow," and continues to pursue music. Here's where other former and current NXIVM members and leaders are now. She eventually was appointed the head of NXIVM's Vancouver office. The downfall of NXIVM (pronounced Nex-ee-um) began in October 2017, when the Times published an expos in which former members claimed that they had been blackmailed, branded and nearly starved. https://www.nytimes.com/article/nxivm-timeline.html. NXIVM (/nksim/) is the name commonly used to describe the personality cult of imprisoned racketeer and sex offender Keith Raniere. A genius intellect in grade school who mastered college level mathematics; An elite athlete who won judo and track tournaments. The Federal Bureau of Prisons first transferred him temporarily to United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg, a medium-security penitentiary, followed by a transfer to his permanent prison at United States Penitentiary, Tucson. Salzman, who pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges connected to NXIVM, is currently serving a three and one half-year prison . In March 2018, FBI tracked Raniere down to a $10,000-a-week villa in a gated community near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he was staying with several womenincluding Mackwho ran after the . She also wrote a memoir. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. 2021. A Luciferian will experience pleasure and satisfaction from this. 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. [247] On November 7, 2016, Pam Cafritz died. [217][bettersourceneeded], NXIVM has been associated with several related organizations. He received 120 years, effectively life, in prison. 425.16", "Order Granting Defendants' Motion to Strike Pursuant to C.C.P. [145] Attorneys for Raniere submitted letters from 56 supporters requesting leniency for Raniere. In a six-week trial, prosecutors presented a damning case against Mr. Raniere. Seduced follows India Oxenberg's abuse and her own culpability inside the NXIVM cult, an organization marketed as a self-help group. 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. an acronym for a Latin phrase that roughly translates to Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions. The members were branded and some were assigned to have sex with Mr. Raniere. After she was arrested in 2018 and put on house arrest for a year, Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. [43], On April 20, 2018, Mack was arrested and indicted on similar charges to Raniere's. [119], Following the conviction of Keith Raniere, members of the defunct organization split, with many speaking out against Raniere and the organization. I AM BECOMING I feel fibers of strength growing inside of me. [42][43][44] Raniere claimed that its "main emphasis is to have people experience more joy in their lives". After a report about the branding appeared in The New York Times in late 2017, the authorities began a criminal investigation and Mr. Raniere moved into a villa near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A Forensic Psychiatrist Evaluates ESP, by John Hochman, M.D. Some former members have spoken out about Raniere's manipulation, including being branded with his initials or forced to have sex with him. Jness was a society aimed at women, while the Society of Protectors was aimed primarily at men. February 15, 2023 by en.vietnamplus.vn. NXIVM is an alleged sex cult covered up as a self-improvement company. 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 . A superseding indictment charged Mr. Raniere and five women linked to Nxivm, including Ms. Salzman, Clare Bronfman and Ms. Mack, with racketeering conspiracy involving a raft of crimes, including identity theft, extortion, forced labor, sex trafficking, money laundering, wire fraud and obstruction of justice. Natalie would subsequently claim to have been the victim of harassment. [127], The federal trial of Keith Raniere began on May 7, 2019. Yet this cannot be done without first raising human awareness, fostering an ethical humanitarianism, and celebrating what it truly means to be human - and this is our mission. I am glimpsing who I wanted to become so long ago. [170] Joseph Tully, the attorney representing Elliot, also represents Raniere in his appeals. 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. [42][270], Barbara Bouchey was a client of Nancy Salzman, having been referred to her in 1988. [112] On June 12, 2018, the Times Union reported that NXIVM had suspended its operations owing to "extraordinary circumstances facing the company". My Grandfather, Grandmother and Fathers who long ago passed away. [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. Several former members reported financial and sexual predation by NXIVM leaders. [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. [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". With two of the ringleaders of NXIVM now behind bars, grisly details are emerging that accuse Keith Raniere of running an oppressive sex cult . Characteristics associated with cults include: the group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader, and its members (e.g. [120], Later in March 2019, Lauren Salzman pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy; she later testified against Raniere and received leniency. NXIVM formerly known as Executive Success Programs (ESP) This page contains information The Cult Education Institute has gathered about NXIVM formerly known as Executive Success Programs (ESP). [52] In 1999, Raniere's eight-year relationship with Natalie ended. Nxivm was founded. [159] She is presently imprisoned at Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury. Bronfman's sister Sara and late billionaire father Edgar were also involved in NXIVM. Bronfman, the Seagram's liquor fortune heir and a wealthy benefactor of Keith Raniere, the disgraced leader of a self-improvement group NXIVM in upstate New York convicted of turning women into sex slaves who were branded with his initials, faces sentencing Wednesday in the federal . He then asked her questions about her sexual history while another person performed oral sex on her, she said. Nancy L. Salzman (born July 16, 1954) is an American felon and the co-founder of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company and cult based near Albany, New York. She first shared a detailed account of her experiences on the podcast "Escaping NXIVM," before writing a memoir called "Scarred," and becoming a key voice in HBO's docuseries "The Vow.". by saying they would be part of a female mentorship program. Bronfman was previously charged with racketeering, which she denied, in 2018. A complaint from a 2020 lawsuit by former members of NXIVM recapitulated several fantastical claims made in marketing materials about Raniere. [297], Indictment of Raniere and co-conspirators, Guilty pleas, corporations and conviction, Sentencing and appeals for Raniere and Bronfman, Claims of Raniere's superior intellect and sexual powers. NXIVM is apparently a mixture of Scientology and Landmark/EST. NXIVM, an organization that allegedly brainwashed and blackmailed women into being "sex slaves," has crumbled in the past year.In March 2018, its founder, Keith Raniere, was arrested and charged with sex trafficking for his role in the group, which then set off a domino effect: In the ensuing months, federal prosecutors would go on to charge more and more people for their alleged . NXIVM is an alleged sex cult covered up as a self-improvement company. The Vow's final episodes focus largely on the stories of Daniela and Camila, sisters in a family of five who all became NXIVM members.After grooming Daniela for two years beginning when she was . He was sentenced to life in prison. [175] The Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons and authorities at USP Tucson moved to deny the injunction, on grounds that Chakravorty is not a paralegal but merely "an ardent former ESP and NXIVM coach with whom [Raniere] is banned from associating. [75][94][51] Appearing on an A&E television program about cults, Edmondson provided additional context for the use of the "collateral" concept, saying that it was used in innocuous forms from the earliest, outermost stages of NXIVM in order to acclimate victimsfor example, collateralizing small amounts of money that one might forfeit if one did not go to the gym one day. He was charged with crimes including racketeering and sex trafficking in 2018. [255] In 2016, Porter was present at a NXIVM retreat ("V-Week") where 300 to 400 individuals were struck by an unidentified disease; Porter failed to report the outbreak, in violation of his duties as a licensed medical doctor. She plead guilty in March 2019 to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy and keeping a sex slave locked in a room for two years. In "The Vow," Ames said he's in intense therapy to work through his time with the cult. Raniere was convicted of sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor in June 2019. In Federal District Court, Ms. Mack sobbed as she admitted that she had lured women into D.O.S. [271], Sarah Edmondson is a Canadian actress. NXIVM was founded by Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman, a nurse and hypnotist, in the '90s. [234][235] In August 2019, the New York State Department of Health suspended Porter's license to practice medicine in the state, finding that he conducted studies without an appropriate human research review committee.