The battered self-improvement guru, Keith Raniere, who has millionaires and Hollywood actors as NXIVM followers has been sentenced to 120 years for turning some followers into sex slaves and branded them with his initials.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis described Raniere as ruthless and adamant in crimes that were in particular egregious due to the fact that he aimed young girls and young women. After hearing the heartbreaking statements by victims of sex-trafficking conspiracy which led to Ranieres conviction in 2019 along with remarks which show that the defendant is unrepentant, the Judge handed down the high sentence in a Federal Court in Brooklyn.
While putting up a defense, Raniere said: “I do believe I am innocent of the charges. … It is true I am not remorseful of the crimes I do not believe I committed at all.”
Prosecutors had wanted life in prison while defence lawyers revealed he should spend 15 years behind bars.
The sentencing factored in many years of revelations in respect of Ranieres program, NXIVM, which levied thousands of dollars charges for invitation-only self improvement courses at its Headquarters located near Albany, New York with branches in Canada and Mexico.
Followers included millionaires and Hollywood actresses that had willingness to endure humiliation and promised to obey the defendant’s teachings.
It should be recalled that NXIVM has been the subject of two TV documentary series in 2020, HBO’s The Vow and the Starz’s Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult.
Prosecutors said the 60-year-old Raniere led what became a criminal enterprise and induced guilt and shame to facilitate and direct co-conspirators who helped in recruiting and grooming sexual partners for him. Raniere was convicted on charges which include racketeering, alien smuggling, sex trafficking, extortion and obstruction of justice.
They said Raniere started a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl and made sure he confined another teenager to a room for almost two years in 2005.
Raniere has encountered harsh attack recently from former adherents during sentencing in his sex-trafficking case.
The daughter of Dynasty actress Catherine Oxenberg, Indie Oxenberg called Raniere an entitled little princess and a sexual predator and cried out that it is possible she spends the rest of her life with Keith Raneires initials seared into her.
In a sentencing submission, Raniere’s lawyers said he would keep asserting his total innocence to the charges.
His lawyers wrote that his jury conviction at a trial that was unfair emanated from a media campaign which involved witnesses that were motivated to falsely testify as part of a prosecution which threatened defence witnesses. Also, his lawyers said the life prison term sought by prosecutors was excessive.
The lawyers said no one was shot, stabbed, punched, kicked, slapped or even yelled at. In spite of the sex offences, there is no proof that any woman told Keith Raniere that she was not interested in kissing him, touching him, holding his hand or having sex with him.
