Jan 10, 2020

Raniere opposes victim anonymity at sentencing



Robert Gavin
Times Union
January 8, 2020

NEW YORK — NXIVM leader Keith Raniere dictated that his victims adhere to 500-calorie-a-day diets, avoid personal grooming and be branded in agony with his initials.

And now he apparently wants to dictate the conditions of their victim impact statements at his sentencing in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.

Federal prosecutors have indicated that Raniere, 59, known as "Vanguard," is opposing their motion to permit his victims to deliver their impact statements without their names being revealed in court, according to a court filing on Tuesday.

On Dec. 19, prosecutors informed Senior U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis that they have been in contact with a  “significant number of victims” who want to speak at Raniere’s sentencing but the people are concerned for their privacy.  Prosecutors in Brooklyn's Eastern District noted the “degrading and humiliating treatment that certain victims in this case were forced to endure” and said victims are expected to provide similar information in their statements.

"Requiring the victims of certain crimes, including sex trafficking, to provide their names in public could chill their willingness to be heard, for fear of having their personal histories publicized, and the embarrassment and humiliation that such publicity could cause them as they rebuild their lives," stated Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar. "In addition, a ruling requiring the victims to disclose their full identities publicly could cause other victims to fear seeking help from law enforcement as that could subject them to further harassment and embarrassment."

During Raniere’s nearly two-month trial, victims who testified were allowed to give their first names or use a pseudonym. Raniere’s attorneys objected to the anonymity without success.

Raniere, whom prosecutors labeled a "crime boss" atop his cult-like organization, faces the possibility of life in prison at his sentencing, which has been indefinitely adjourned as the judge awaits a pre-sentencing investigation report conducted by a federal probation officer.

On June 19, following a nearly two-month trial, a jury took less than five hours to convict the supposed personal growth guru of all seven counts he faced. They included sex trafficking, forced labor and racketeering charges that included underlying acts of money laundering, child exploitation, possession of child pornography, identity theft, obstruction of justice, wire and visa fraud.

In addition to the cult-like NXIVM organization, which was rooted in Colonie and had locations in Vancouver and Mexico among other places, Raniere in 2015 launched a secret “master/slave” group  called Dominus Obsequious Sororium or DOS, which translated in Latin to “Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions.”

Raniere, whose leadership atop the all-women DOS was kept secret, served as its “grand master” and commanded a “first-line” of “slaves” who answered directly to him. In turn, those women recruited women into the group and served as grand masters to those slaves who, in turn, served as masters to more women.

DOS members were required to hand over sexually explicit photos of themselves or embarrassing personal information, some of which was untrue, as “collateral” so that they would be deterred from ever betraying the organization.

On Raniere’s orders, women in DOS were forced to live on 500-a-day calorie diets, respond to text messages at all hours of the night in drills for “readiness” and keep their pubic hair ungroomed. Some were asked to seduce him sexually. Many DOS members, at Raniere’s instruction, were branded with his initials by a person using a cauterizing pen, a process that left some members squealing in pain. Their hands were held above their heads during branding ceremonies in Halfmoon.

"And the person should ask to be branded, something like, 'Please brand me -- it would be an honor,'" Raniere said on a recording. "Something like that -- 'an honor I want to wear for the rest of my life.'"

Raniere's codefendants all pleaded guilty before the trial. They include former first-line DOS slaves Allison Mack and Lauren Salzman, the latter of whom testified for prosecutors during the trial; Seagrams heiress Clare Bronfman; NXIVM bookeeper Kathy Russell and NXIVM president Nancy Salzman.

They are yet to be sentenced.

https://m.timesunion.com/news/article/Raniere-opposes-victim-anonymity-at-sentencing-14960347.php

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