NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – A US jury on Wednesday convicted a “self-help” guru of racketeering, sex trafficking, and other crimes for his leadership of a cult-like organization of sex slaves he branded like cattle.
Keith Raniere, 58, coerced a string of women into having sex with him as the charismatic leader of a life-coaching group he founded in New York state.
Nxivm – pronounced Nexium – had proved a huge draw since its 2003 launch, attracting a coterie of rich and famous devotees such as the “Smallville” actress Allison Mack, and spreading into cities across the United States.
But Raniere, who was arrested in Mexico in 2018, swapped the personal development training courses for sex sessions as the head of a group of up to 20 women – the youngest of whom was just 15.
He was convicted after a six-week trial on all seven charges, which also included extortion and sexual exploitation of a child, and faces up to a full life term when he is sentenced on Sept. 25.
“This trial has revealed that Raniere, who portrayed himself as a savant and a genius, was in fact, a master manipulator, a con-man, and the crime boss of a cult-like organization,” Richard Donoghue, a federal prosecutor in New York, said after the verdict.
Followers signed up for $5,000, five-day self-help courses, but some were then financially and sexually exploited and had to follow a restrictive diet as Raniere – known as “Vanguard” – exerted his control, the jury was told.
In 2015, he established a faction within the group called DOS, a pyramid structure in which the women were “slaves” and “Grand Master” Raniere sat at the top.
