Following is a transcript of the video.
The scandal behind the alleged Nxivm sex-slave ring
A number of high-profile individuals face expenses for his or her involvement in a secretive group that allegedly recruited and branded ladies as intercourse slaves.
On its web site, Nxivm claimed to be a multi-level advertising firm rooted in “humanitarian rules.” It provided courses for individuals in search of higher objective of their lives and careers. However beneath this altruistic guise was one thing a lot darker.It began with Keith Raniere, a self-proclaimed self-help guru. He based Nxivm in 1998 as an umbrella for a number of corporations and social actions. A kind of initiatives was “Govt Success Packages,” or ESP, which he based with former psychiatric nurse Nancy Salzman.
ESPs had been skilled growth seminars focused on the rich. Executives and professors would train programs on self-improvement priced from $25,000 to $100,000. Raniere asserted himself as a frontrunner of a philosophical motion and required members to name him “Vanguard.” Salzman, who grew to become president of ESP, was known as “Prefect.”
In 2003, Forbes estimated that 3,700 individuals had participated in ESPs. Many had been billionaires, actresses, and businessmen. Nxivm even hosted the Dalai Lama at a humanitarian occasion. Some individuals minimize ties with Nxivm after taking the programs. Others grew to become deeply engrained right into a secret “sisterhood” of Raniere’s followers.
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Leaders throughout the motion had been referred to as “masters” and recruited different ladies to be their “slaves.” Prosecutors allege that Raniere stored a bunch of 15 to twenty ladies as intercourse slaves, branded together with his initials.
Allison Mack
Former “Smallville” actress Allison Mack pleaded responsible to racketeering for her alleged function within the Nxivm intercourse cult case. She admitted she tried to recruit different ladies into Raniere’s ring and picked up “collateral” to blackmail members. She additionally claimed it was her thought to model members.
Clare and Sara Bronfman
Clare and Sara Bronfman, heiresses to Seagram’s liquor, have been accused of largely financing the group. Prosecutors say Clare was a key member and main bankroller of the enterprise. Nxivm allegedly took as a lot as $150 million of the sisters’ fortune.
Catherine and India Oxenberg
Actress Catherine Oxenberg took ESP programs along with her daughter India. Catherine finally distanced herself from Nxivm, however India grew to become extra concerned. Catherine detailed her campaign to get her daughter out of the cult in her guide “Captive.”
Sarah Edmondson
Actress Sarah Edmondson detailed her branding expertise to The New York Instances in 2017. She mentioned she’d been informed it might solely be a tattoo however was restrained whereas a physician seared a logo beneath her hip.
Though Nxivm confronted controversy within the early 2000s when alleged victims and former members spoke out, the 2017 New York Instances article was what lastly sparked a federal investigation.
A warrant for Raniere’s arrest was filed in February 2018. He was arrested that March in Mexico. In March 2019, Nancy Salzman pleaded responsible to racketeering.
Keith Raniere faces expenses of racketeering conspiracy, intercourse trafficking, wire fraud conspiracy, possession of kid pornography, compelled labor conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit identification theft.
