In this courtroom drawing, defendant Keith Raniere, center, is seated between his attorneys Paul DerOhannesian, left, and Marc Agnifilo during the first day of his sex trafficking trial, Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Raniere, the former leader of the self help group called NXIVM, has pleaded not guilty to the charges that he turned his followers into sex slaves. Image: Elizabeth Williams via AP
A woman testified on Wednesday that she became a 鈥渟lave鈥� under the control of a self-help guru who counted her calories, preached that women too often play victim and, ultimately, used her for unwanted sex.
The 32-year-old witness 鈥� referred to by only her first name to protect her privacy 鈥� told a jury at the trial of Keith Raniere that a female 鈥渕aster鈥� in a secret sorority serving Raniere ordered her to 鈥渟educe鈥� him. When she was summoned to meet with him in private, she felt she had no choice but to to strip for a nude photo and let him perform oral sex on her 鈥渙n a big bed with dirty white sheets,鈥� all behind her husband鈥檚 back, she said.
Afterward, Raniere told her, 鈥淩ight now, you鈥檙e part of the inner circle.鈥� From then on, he added, he would be her 鈥済rand master.鈥�
Plans were made for the woman to be branded with Raniere鈥檚 initials like other slaves, she said. But before that could happen, the group splintered amid an FBI investigation that resulted in Raniere鈥檚 capture on a U.S. warrant in Mexico in 2018.
The account came on the second day of the federal sex-trafficking trial of Raniere, once the spiritual leader of a self-improvement organization based in upstate New York, called NXIVM, that鈥檚 been compared to a cult. The 58-year-old defendant has denied charges that he used the group to control and exploit women, insisting his sexual encounters with followers were consensual.
Five of Raniere鈥檚 co-defendants, including TV actress Allison Mack and wealthy heiress Clare Bronfman, have pleaded guilty. Mack, described in court papers as a 鈥渕aster鈥� in the 鈥渕aster-slave鈥� subgroup, could be called as a witness.
In two days of testimony, the first witness described herself as a lost soul from England who was introduced to NXIVM at age 18 by Bronfman, a fellow equestrian and deep-pocket benefactor of Rainere and his group.
She described hoping to overcome her fears in life by taking courses that earned her a position as a 鈥渃oach鈥� in NXIVM. Women who joined were expected to watch their weight and adhere to Raniere鈥檚 slogans like, 鈥淭here are no ultimate victims, therefore I will not chose to be a victim,鈥� she said.
In 2015, she was recruited for the secret society, agreeing to turn over nude photos and other embarrassing 鈥渃ollateral鈥� that could be used against her if she disobeyed her masters, she said.
On cross-examination, the witness was confronted with private text chats 鈥� sprinkled with heart emoji 鈥� in which she told Raniere in the months leading up to his arrest how much she appreciated him. She also admitted she always was free to leave the NXIVM community if she got up the courage.
鈥淵eah, no one held me there,鈥� she said.
But the still-married witness added that what she said to Raniere 鈥渁nd what I felt were different.鈥� Her status as a slave meant she had to idolize Raniere and follow his commands, even if it meant submitting to having sex with him, she said.
鈥淚 think I felt shame and still do, honestly, about the whole thing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 felt everything was lies and secrets and darkness.鈥� CC
RELATED STORIES:聽
US 鈥榮ex slave鈥� guru goes on trial in New York