The legal woes just got worse for NXIVM founder Keith Raniere after he was convicted of 'sex trafficking' and 'racketeering' by a Federal District Court in Brooklyn on June 19, 2019. Raniere is being called out by nearly 80 members of his cult, over a variety of charges ranging from sex slavery to forced labor all the way to running a pyramid scheme as a means of defrauding investors of the venture.
The accusations on Raniere and his "inner circle" pile-up
Past members of the cult Sarah Edmundson, Toni Natalie and Mark Vincente came together along with 80 others of the cult to file the lawsuit against Raniere late Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.
The people who filed the lawsuit allege that they were involved in luring potential victims into the cult-like group after which they were subjected to forced labor and medical experiments. They also claim that the sex-cult used pseudo-scientific and therapeutic methods that did not help the condition the person was suffering from. Reniere was convicted in June in Brooklyn federal court of racketeering and sex trafficking and faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced. However, his sentencing date has been postponed indefinitely.
The lawsuit charges that expensive self-help treatment courses were sold to unsuspecting people who ended up losing their fortune and feeling traumatized during the whole process. "NCVIM preyed on the earnest, intelligent people who wanted to better themselves and the world through what they thought to be a humanitarian undertaking of unprecedented scope," said Neil Glazer, a Philadelphia lawyer representing the plaintiffs.
Some of the accusers were recruited into the DOS wing of the operation, a wing specifically reserved for sexual slavery. Females of the DOS were forced to have relations with Raniere and have his initials branded on their skin. Among the defendants to the suit are the members of the NXIVM's "inner circle" who pleaded guilty to the charges and are awaiting sentencing. The members of the inner circle are Seagram booze heiresses Claire and Sara Bronfman, Lauren Salzman, Nancy Salzman, bookkeeper Nancy Russell and "Smallville" TV actress Allison Mack.
