In January 2020, Raniere and several other NXIVM individuals were named as defendants in a civil lawsuit filed in federal court by 80 former NXIVM members. [19][197][198][199] United States Attorney Richard Donoghue stated that Raniere "created a secret society of women with whom he had sex and had branded with his initials, coercing them with the threat of releasing their highly personal information and taking their assets. Serial killer Keith Hunter Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer," brutally murdered eight women between 1990 and 1995. Raniere was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 26, 1960. [227] The Circuit upheld the decision and rejected the appeal on December 9, 2022. In August 2019, he died in jail, which was ruled a suicide. Raniere was found guilty of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy,. He's a member of Mega, a high-IQ society with a minimum requirement at the one-in-a-million level. Raniere offered to tutor her in Latin and Algebra as a pretext to seduce and sexually abuse her when she was 12 years old. Superseding Indictment, United States of America v. Keith Raniere, et al. He described himself as a childhood genius who was speaking in full sentences at 1, reading at 2 and a proficient pianist by the time he was 12. He was found guilty of all seven counts in June 2019. He was convicted and sent to prison in 2020. Daniela said her confinement ended in 2012 after she almost attempted suicide but instead decided to leave her family home. United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Theodore Roosevelt United States Courthouse, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, "Jury Finds Nxivm Leader Keith Raniere Guilty of All Counts", "NXIVM: What We Know About Alleged Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor", "Faces of NXIVM: An alleged cult's inner circle and beyond", "NXIVM courts rich, powerful and influential", "These are the people involved in the scandal around alleged sex cult inside Nxivm", "Founder Of "Nxivm," a Purported Self-Help Organization, and Five Others Charged in Superseding Indictment with Racketeering Conspiracy", "Cult Education Institute: Group Information Archives", "Preventing Predatory Alienation by High-Control Groups: The Application of Human Trafficking Laws to Groups Popularly Known as Cults, and Proposed Changes to Laws Regarding Federal Immigration, State Child Marriage, and Undue Influence", "IJCAM - Introduction - Comparative Reflections on Scientology and NXIVM", "Narcissistic sexual predation: Keith Raniere's grooming practices in NXIVM", "The 3 main personality traits of cult leaders, according to a cult-recovery therapist", "Unraveling NXIVM: A timeline of Times Union coverage", "Keith Raniere Nxivm trial: Why it's so hard to stop a cult", "Why So Many Celebrities Joined NXIVM, According to Cult Experts", "Leader of NY Group Branded Women, Made Them Sex Slaves: Feds", "NXIVM founder Raniere guilty on all counts", "Nxivm Trial: Leader Convicted After Trial Exposed Sex Cult's Sordid Inner Workings", "NXIVM Survivor India Oxenberg on Why She Didn't Believe She Was Brainwashed", "Keith Raniere, Leader of Nxivm Sex Cult, Is Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison", "NXIVM Leader Keith Raniere Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison for Racketeering and Sex Trafficking Offenses", "United States District Court Eastern District of New York | United States of America against Keith Raniere, Defendant | Sentencing Memorandum on Behalf of Keith Raniere", "Escaping NXIVM: Inside the secretive world of leader Keith Raniere", "Poor Little Rich Girls: The Ballad of Sara and Clare Bronfman", "Univision's timeline of Keith Raniere's life", Lohud.com, The Journal News (Rockland), part of the USA Today Network, "When We Exposed Keith Raniere, The Leader Of The Nxivm 'Sex Cult', "Transcript: Uncover: Escaping NXIVM Season 1, EP 3", "Once Idolized, Guru of Nxivm 'Sex Cult' to Stand Trial Alone", "Did Gina Hutchinson's Journal Disclose Motive for Murder? 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. [106][107][108], According to Daniela's testimony as a prosecution witness at the 2019 trial, Raniere claimed to all three sisters that he had "mystical" powers, including the ability to heal through sex. What Happened to NXIVM Cult Leader Keith Raniere's Ex-Girlfriend Gina Hutchinson? Answer (1 of 8): If you want to be taken seriously by people with a functioning BS filter, then yes, flagrant BS will hurt your cause. To attract younger members to NXIVM, Raniere set up an a cappella singing group. Thats not the only proof Raniere had of his intelligence though. [90][91][92][93][94] Public accusations of sexually predatory behavior and inappropriate relationships with minors have trailed Raniere since the early 2010s. Two witnesses recounted that Raniere had taken their virginity when they were minors. It doesn't matter what the command is, it matters that you obey. [66][bettersourceneeded][67] Clifford recalled: "I was told [by a NXIVM instructor] not to bring her to the hospital. Months earlier, several news outlets had published shocking reports detailing the inner workings of the purported "self-help" organization he founded, which prosecutors say was a front for a sex cult.. ", "Blast from the past: Complete text from 1988 Times Union article about Raniere and his take-home IQ test", "Rochester woman tells all about life with NXIVM's Keith Raniere, her ex", "Law enforcement has fielded NXIVM complaints for years", "Cult of NXIVM Series Part 8: The Relentless Pursuit of Enemies", "How Allison Mack Ended Up Involved With an Alleged Sex Slavery Ring", "34 Toni Natalie, Keith Raniere's Ex-Girlfriend, On NXIVM", "Did Isaac Asimov Inspire Keith Raniere to be 'the Mule'? [195][196] The unsealed complaint accused Raniere of a variety of crimes related to DOS, including sex trafficking, conspiracy for sex trafficking, and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Keith Raniere has claimed to have an IQ of 240.Raniere actually claims himself as the world's smartest man and says that he has an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records to back this up. . He was devastated and unmoored by the death of longtime girlfriend Pamela Cafritz in November 2016. [47] It was at a CBI pitch meeting that Raniere met Toni Natalie,[48] who subsequently became a top seller for the organization along with her then-husband. His supposedly bias-free news organization was the only one members were supposed to read. Raniere was convicted in 2019, but now the group of six former FBI forensic experts claims the government framed him on the charge of possession of child pornography. [173] Some slaves were told the brand represented the four elements and were unaware it was Raniere's initials. Allegations of Raniere's sex crimes against underage girls appeared in an investigative series published by The Albany Times-Union in 2012. He is currently in the middle of an appeals process,. The highest score possible is 145, and the lowest score possible is 61; scores between these two extremes represents just one standard deviation from the mean iq for that group. The pretext to her family was that she had stolen money. episodes of the vow = 8fact checks of keith raniere's IQ test / judo championship / piano credentials = 0. US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis read the sentence in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday, after more than a . The aim of the "readiness drills" was to reinforce the idea that responding to a master was the most important part of any slave's life. The eldest ("Marianna") is the mother of Raniere's second biological child. NXIVM leader Keith Raniere. Raniere went to war with those he considered his enemies, which included former NXIVM members and critics. [71] Beginning in August 2005, the Bronfman sisters covered the losses, ultimately using $150 million of their funds in support of Raniere and his organization. The polyamorous Raniere fathered children with two women. These recordings were released through a website as a podcast called Raniere Speaks with copyright held by Dialogue Productions, LLC. He said it went right to his head. After she fled the region with her son, an email bearing her name explained: "I have full sole legal custody of Gaelyn. "I'm very sorry for the victims of this case," she said . Where Is NXIVM Senior Leader Allison Mack Now? [189], Mexican Federal Police located Raniere in a luxury villa outside Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. These slaves were forced to adhere to extremely restrictive diets and document every food they ate. And that he was superior and better than everybody, like he was a deity. On October 11, 2002, she was found dead of a gunshot wound to her head on the grounds of the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, an apparent suicide. As NXIVM leader Keith Raniere awaits sentencing for using the self-help group as a sex cult for his personal pleasure, prosecutors say he is still issuing demands to his disciples from inside a . [237][238], Mental, physical and sexual abuse of members, Loyalists' activities at Metropolitan Detention Complex. [121], While Camila did not testify during the trial, she confirmed the sexual abuse at Raniere's sentencing in her victim impact statement. The following year, the case was dismissed with prejudice. The trial court ruled that Raniere's "conduct throughout this litigation, culminating in his untruthful testimony at the hearing on the motion to dismiss, demonstrates a pattern of obfuscation and bad faith. Raniere's attorneys petitioned for his release on bail, including unsupported claims that Raniere could cure Tourette syndrome. After showing adverse childhood experiences, she received counseling for victims of sex abuse and filed a State Police report against Raniere in 1993. He punished women who didn't heed his orders to be monogamous with him and manipulated some by telling them that by disappointing him they had drained his energy. So I said, "Well, you can help me with my boyfriend." In response, authorities at the MDC moved Raniere to another unit to keep the dancers out of his line of sight. [234] 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. [223] Judge Garaufis ruled that 21 victims of Raniere should receive a total of $3.46 million in restitution. When the police arrived, Salzman and Raniere barricaded themselves in the master suite, with Raniere attempting to hide in a walk-in closet. [48], Kristin Keeffe was a longtime partner of Raniere and the mother of his first child. By David K. Li. The woman told the Times Union, "[Raniere] took my innocence. Raniere was convicted by a federal jury in June 2019 of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. And suddenly overnight he turned into like Jesus Christ. Police recovered a note that read: "I attended a course called Executive Success Programs based out of Anchorage, AK, and Albany, NY. '"[47] A witness at Raniere's trial later testified that Bronfman's computer was compromised and his emails monitored by group members for a period of years. [213][214], A July 16, 2020 intelligence analysis memorandum from the Bureau of Prisons Counter Terrorism Unit states that Raniere instructed Chakravorty to get more women to dance "erotically" outside of the MDC. His own company called Raniere the "smartest man in the world," which came from his score on a take-home IQ test in the 1980s. Some went into debt to continue taking NXIVM's classes, while others moved to live near Raniere in upstate New York. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Salzman testified that the overriding emphasis of DOS was to venerate Raniere and foster an atmosphere of "total obedience and secrecy". Raniere employed a variety of methods of exercising power and control over DOS members: Some women were branded in their pelvic areas with Raniere's initials. Keith Raniere Boasts of an Extremely High IQ, but Is He Telling the Truth? DOS, which supposedly stood for the Latin phrase "Dominus Obsequious Sororium," meaning "Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions," was a subgroup created by NXIVM followers. He was convicted and in 2020 was sentenced to 120 years in prison. Ed Ney York. Raniere sought an injunction allowing visitation and phone calls from follower Suneel Chakravorty, who he claims is a paralegal working on his appeals. In 1974, Ronald DeFeo killed his entire family, including his parents, brothers and sisters, while they were sleeping in their beds. [86], In 2015, it was reported that Keeffe had alleged that Raniere directed Canadian investigative firm Canaprobe to obtain financial information on six federal judges and a US senator from the State of New York as well as a reporter, an editor, and the publisher of the Times Union. An early critique of The Vow's first season was that they never countered all of Raniere's bogus claims. I was brainwashed and my emotional center of the brain was killed/turned off. The journey of Keith Raniere from smart man to full blown cult leader is bizarre, involves far too many failed MLMs, and a Smallville actress. She was Raniere's first student. [208][209], Convicted in June 2019, the 2020 outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on prisons delayed Keith Raniere's sentencing until over a year later. ", Women who were "slaves" were supposed to recruit their own followers, to whom they would become "masters." [136][133], Raniere tasked his inner circle members with various DOS projects and devised assignments for DOS slaves, including instructions for "seduction assignments" in which DOS masters implicitly or expressly directed their slaves to engage in sexual activity with Raniere. I had to get Gaelyn away. De aspecto comn y corriente, no encaja con la imagen que solemos tener de. In her account, she was befriended by Raniere and his live-in partners Kristin Keeffe, Karen Unterreiner and Pamela Cafritz. [69], In October 2003, Raniere was featured, cloaked in shadows, on the cover of Forbes magazine, accompanied by the appellation "The World's Strangest Executive Coach". Even during his trial and sentencing, some of Raniere's devotees remained dedicated to him. Sadistic Nxivm svengali Keith Raniere appeared virtually in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday wearing a big grin -- then learned he has to shell out a total of nearly $3.5 million in restitution to a . He graduated in 1982 with three majors: biology, math and physics. But if you don't? He started a women's group called Jness, which taught that men were naturally promiscuous, whereas women were monogamous. Kristin Marie Snyder was a 35-year-old environmental consultant who, in November 2002, paid $7,000 to enroll in a sixteen-day personal development course conducted in Anchorage, Alaska, hosted by Salzman. Salzman also testified that she was helping Raniere edit his DOS manifesto that enforced the master-slave relationships. Keith Raniere was born on August 26, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York. "[59] Much of NXIVM was influenced by the teachings of Ayn Rand, one of Raniere's favorite authors. And he said it was almost like a switch went off. When he was around eight years old, his parents separated. Raniere himself never took the stand during the case last year. While the latter isnt unheard of, it would be nice if someone, such as a parent, could back up all of those claims. Sus enseanzas ticas,. Keith Raniere is at the center of 9-part HBO documentary The Vow. [203][1] The charged acts included: While awaiting sentencing, Raniere's attorney Marc Agnifilo filed two motions for a new trial: in a March 2020 motion claiming witnesses perjured themselves;[206] then, in an October 2020 motion, claiming that prosecutors had intimidated witnesses. Nxivm leader Keith Raniere has been found guilty on seven counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, conspiracy, wire fraud and other crimes. "[186][187][219], On October 27, 2020, federal judge Nicholas Garaufis sentenced Raniere to 120 years in prison and fined him $1.75 million. Being a bit better at math than the room + a weird obsession with volleyball = a 240 IQ in Keith Ranieres mind.#TheVow pic.twitter.com/7f40C4GAFu. Sex trafficking and forced labor of "Nicole"; Conspiracy to alter records for use in an official proceeding; Sex trafficking conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy, and, In 2018, Josh Bloch compiled an investigative podcast series about NXIVM on, This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 21:23. "[61][full citation needed][48], In 2002, Raniere and Salzman succeeded in recruiting members of the influential Bronfman family, heirs to the multibillion-dollar Seagram's fortune. Sources claim Snyder said she was pregnant with Raniere's child right before disappearing", "NXIVM insiders speak in upcoming special", "Former NXIVM follower claims convicted sex cult leader Keith Raniere is linked to pal's disappearance in doc", "Sex Cult Used Spyware to Monitor Bronfman", "Manipulations of fortune; Daughters of business royalty, alleged cult leader at centre of lawsuit", "Records: NXIVM hacked billionaire's emails with Hillary Clinton, world leaders", "Cult of Nxivm Part 6: Raniere and the Bronfmans Try to Buy the Dalai Lama", "From Heiress To Felon: How Clare Bronfman Wound Up In 'Cult-Like' Group Nxivm", "Suspended Lama Tenzin Dhonden Had A Lover Too! However, when Rolling Stone dug deeper into this, they found plenty of shaky foundations in his claim. He went on trial the next year for charges of racketeering conspiracy, identity theft, extortion, forced labor, money laundering, wire fraud and sex trafficking. Gina Hutchinson was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head. NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere found guilty on all charges June 19, 201903:04 According to an amended complaint filed this month, Raniere suffered a black eye, swelling, nausea and. [68] Her vehicle was discovered two days later in Seward, Alaska, 120 miles from Anchorage. In addition, Daniela testified that Raniere's partner Pamela Cafritz coached each sister to refuse to answer questions about paternity to prevent Raniere's abuse from becoming known to any nurse who might be a mandated reporter. Many of the women who were drafted had no idea Raniere was involved, instead believing the group was women-only. "[65] A separate page added: "No need to search for my body. You're important. Raniere remained in the Metropolitan Detention Complex (MDC) awaiting sentencing. They wrote letters to the court to support him and heeded his instructions to create a podcast. I even saw a blue light, but I don't think I told him so. "The one-in-a-million I.Q. It delves into the stories of NXIVM's top leadership in the U.S. and Mexico . September 5, 2018. . You don't have the experience of preserving people's lives with what you say. On February 6, 2003, the tenth day of the second seminar, Snyder reportedly began claiming to be pregnant with Raniere's child, a claim allegedly corroborated by Clare Bronfman. In November 2010, Vanity Fair published an article titled "The Heiresses and the Cult" in which Raniere's former partner Toni Natalie recalled that Raniere "had insisted she keep the body of her dead puppy in her garage freezer and look at it daily. His white sash was longer than anyone else's, and students were expected to bow to him. So, what is Ranieres actual IQ? She later claimed to have been the victim of harassment. Raniere pleaded not guilty to the slew of crimes he was charged with, and in June of 2019, was convicted by a Brooklyn jury of all counts against himracketeering, sex trafficking, forced labor. The complaint was not forwarded to prosecutors because she had declined to wear a wire to obtain a confession from Raniere. He said it was that dramatic and that profound. Investigations of Raniere, such as a 2003 Forbes cover story and a 2012 expos in The Albany Times-Union, reported that he was manipulating and injuring NXIVM members, including allegations of sexual abuse. [147][174][175] At Raniere's trial, prosecutors introduced a recording of a private meeting with DOS inner circle members in which Raniere stated: "The monogram as it is right now is very directly related to my initials." [49] CBI was permanently shut down in September 1996 by the Attorney General of New York after being investigated by 25 states. Raniere was the Master, or Grandmaster, of this group; Mack was one of his personal "slaves. However, when Rolling Stone dug deeper into this, they found plenty of shaky foundations in his claim. Keith Raniere. KR: Yes I do. Raniere wanted to get members involved in government so they could spread the ideas he taught and followed throughout society. [212] The group began calling itself "The Forgotten Ones" and "We Are As You." [129][130][131][132], The first members and Raniere's inner circle in DOS included Allison Mack, Nicki Clyne, and Lauren Salzman, who were also his sexual partners. He helped start NXIVM, a company that does multi-level marketing and has its headquarters near Albany, New York. They should probably say that before they're held down, so it doesn't seem like they're being coerced. "[56], From his 2018 arraignment in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York through his sentencing in 2021, prosecutors sought to keep Raniere remanded to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn (MDC). October 27, 2020: Keith Raniere, leader of the NXIVM sex cult, was sentenced to 120 years in federal prison on Tuesday. [89], At his trial, prosecutors introduced evidence that Raniere held views approving sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and incest. According to confidential sources, the defendant [Raniere] had repeated sexual encounters with multiple teenage girls in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s. This might consist of nude photos, a (false) confession of abuse or the deed to a house. [136], Raniere maintained command and control over DOS members by collecting "collateral" which included highly damaging personal information, sexually explicit photos or videos, and rights to personal assets and relied on his inner circle members to carry out his orders and build the DOS pyramid group. DOS members communicated using encrypted phone applications like Telegram and Signal, and members' identities were not always known to each another. New documentary explores if NXIVM leader poisoned women", "Escaping NXIVM: Behind the investigation of an alleged sex cult", "INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY EXPOSES THE DARK WORLD OF THE NXIVM CULT IN THE LOST WOMEN OF NXIVM", "Investigation Discovery's 'The Lost Women of Nxivm,' With Frank Parlato, Shows an Even Darker View of Nxivm Than HBO's 'The Vow', "The Lost Women of Nxivm: Rumours vs. [83], In 2011, Toni Natalie filed documents in federal court alleging that she had been repeatedly raped by Raniere. Raniere co-founded the controversial NXIVM group alongside Nancy Salzman. This article is more than 10 years old. She passed away when he was 18. The structure of NXIVM classes meant that students offered up personal details, which could later make them vulnerable to manipulation. [56][57][58] A few years later, the program was rebranded under the name NXIVM. Keith Raniere's devoted followers say he is one of . [164][165][166] NXIVM member Dr. Danielle Roberts performed the "ceremonial branding" of DOS members using a cauterizing pen. She was later escorted out of the NXIVM community and was left at the Mexico border with less than $80 and no personal documents. And she says, he's saying this to all these girls. However, it ended up under investigation by multiple state attorneys general as a potential pyramid scheme. Operating from 1998 to 2018, at its height, NXIVM had 700 members, including celebrities and the wealthy. [37] In a January 2003 ruling, federal judge Robert Littlefield implied Raniere was using a legal suit to harass his former partner. [31][32], Raniere attended Suffern High School for ninth grade before transferring to Rockland Country Day School in Congers. [29][58][60], Raniere's eight-year relationship with Natalie ended in 1999. [211], Ahead of his sentencing, prosecutors submitted a number of Raniere's communications and disciplinary issues in prison as evidence of remorselessness and that he continues to control his followers. NXIVM was founded as Executive Success Programs in 1998. On October 27, 2020, Raniere was found guilty of all counts against him racketeering, sex trafficking . NXIVM (/ n k s i m /) is the name commonly used to describe the personality cult of imprisoned racketeer and sex offender Keith Raniere. [29][18][39], In June 1988, the Times Union profiled Raniere, reporting on his membership in the Mega Society after he achieved a high score on founder Ronald K. Hoeflin's MEGA test, an unsupervised, 48-question test published in the April 1985 issue of Omni magazine. He attended a Waldorf school, before leaving for a public junior high school. Country music sensation Toby Keith is best known for his rousing anthems to the U.S. soldiers serving in the Middle East. "[65] Snyder was last seen leaving this session of the course. That score is what led to his inclusion in one Australian edition of The Guinness Book of World Records, but there was nothing and no one to actually back up his IQ score claims. American artist Keith Haring was best known for his graffiti-inspired drawings, which he first made in subway stations and later exhibited in museums. A former girlfriend, Toni Natalie, said he hounded her into bankruptcy. Among Raniere's followers were several famous names: Emiliano Salinas, the son of a former Mexican president; heiresses Sara and Clare Bronfman, who provided NXIVM and Raniere with enormous sums; actress Allison Mack, star of the television show Smallville; and India Oxenberg, daughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg. She was ordered to seduce Raniere, she said, by her "slave . It doesn't matter that you understand the command, it matters that you obey. One of Raniere's long-time partners . [116][117][118][119][120] Prosecutors also introduced WhatsApp messages between Raniere and Camila, which showed that Raniere considered her as his "slave" and tasked her with finding more sex slaves, which Raniere calls "successors" and expresses a preference for women shorter than him, younger and virgins. By 1997, Consumers' Buyline had closed. Keith Urban is a Grammy-award winning country music singer, songwriter and guitarist.

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