NXIVM

NXIVM Corporation
Company typePrivately held company
IndustrySelf-improvement seminars
FoundedJuly 20, 1998; 26 years ago (1998-07-20)
FounderKeith Raniere
Nancy Salzman Edit this on Wikidata
DefunctSeptember 7, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-09-07)
HeadquartersAlbany, New York, U.S.
Key people
ProductsPersonal-growth seminars
Websitenxivm.com (Archived)[dead link‍]

NXIVM (/ˈnɛksiəm/ NEK-see-əm) was a cult led by Keith Raniere, who is now a convicted racketeer and sex offender.[3] NXIVM is also the name of the defunct company that Raniere founded in 1998, which provided seminars ostensibly about human potential development,[4] and served as a front organization for criminal activity by Raniere and his close associates.[3] Following Raniere's conviction in 2019, the Department of Justice seized ownership of NXIVM-related entities and their intellectual property through asset forfeiture.[5]

The NXIVM Corporation was based in the New York Capital District and had centers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.[6][7] The subsidiary companies of NXIVM recruited based on the multi-level marketing model and used curricula based on the intellectual property ("tech") of Raniere called "Rational Inquiry".[8] Courses attracted a variety of notable students including actors as well as the children of the rich and powerful.[9][10] At its height, NXIVM had 700 active members.[11]

Throughout its existence, former members and families of NXIVM clients, alarmed by Raniere's behavior and NXIVM's practices, spoke to investigative journalists from Forbes, Vanity Fair, The New York Observer, and the Times Union of Albany, describing the organization as a cult. The organization was criticized in similar terms by Rick Alan Ross of the Cult Education Institute and activists and academics.[12][13][14][15] In 2017, former members Sarah Edmondson, Bonnie Piesse and Mark Vicente, as well as Catherine Oxenberg (mother of member India Oxenberg) spoke to The New York Times and revealed grave concerns about Raniere and NXIVM, including the existence of a secret society called "DOS" in which women were branded, made to record false confessions and provide nude photographs for blackmail.[16]

Following the New York Times exposé, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York investigated the organization, and in 2018 brought criminal charges against Raniere, co-founder Nancy Salzman and her daughter Lauren, actress Allison Mack, Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman, and bookkeeper Kathy Russell. The U.S. Attorney's Office argued in its Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act prosecution that NXIVM and its subsidiaries existed to promote, enhance and protect Raniere and members of the enterprise. The indictment alleges that Raniere and his co-defendants comprised an organized racketeering enterprise by recruiting others into NXIVM and DOS for financial and personal benefits and committed crimes ranging from sex trafficking to forced labor and visa and wire fraud.[17][18][19][20] All defendants except for Raniere pled guilty.[21][22][23][24][25]

Raniere chose to go to trial in 2019. Prosecutors revealed a decades-long pattern of grooming, sexual abuse of girls and women, physical and psychological punishments against dissenters, and hacking and vexatious litigation against enemies.[26][27] Raniere was convicted on the top charge of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy as well as several other charges. Judge Nicholas Garaufis sentenced Raniere to 120 years imprisonment.[3][28][29][30] Co-conspirators Clare Bronfman, Nancy Salzman, and Allison Mack were given lesser prison sentences.[31][32][33] Lauren Salzman and Kathy Russell were each given non-prison sentences.[34][35] Following Raniere's conviction, he continues to direct a small set of loyal members from his prison cell, encouraging continued recruitment.[36][37] At his direction, members of the group danced outside Raniere's jail and staged protests against individual prosecutors. Based on statements of support, it was estimated that about 50 to 60 persons remain loyal to Raniere.[38][39]

  1. ^ Saul, Emily (January 23, 2019). "Brooklyn judge finds 'issues' with Nxivm defense fund". New York Post. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  2. ^ Fink, Jenni (May 21, 2019). "Who Is Emiliano Salinas? Son of Former Mexican President Allegedly Top Member of Sex Cult NXIVM". Newsweek.
  3. ^ a b c "NXIVM Leader Keith Raniere Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison for Racketeering and Sex Trafficking Offenses". www.justice.gov. October 27, 2020. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "IP Details". www.onscope.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  5. ^ Gavin, Robert (January 17, 2020). "Raniere loses battle to keep NXIVM 'tech'". Times Union. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "How NXIVM Rippled Through Vancouver Actors' Friend Networks". www.vice.com. September 12, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT20180530 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Harnish, Amelia. "How NXIVM Brainwashed My Brother". Refinery29. Retrieved July 2, 2022. NXIVM (which is kind of like a parent company to all these separate entities) offered multiple tracks to self-awareness: ESP remains the largest and is often the entrypoint for most people. But there's also Jness, for women; Society of Protectors or SOP for men, both for teaching Raniere's regressive ideas about gender. There's The Source for actors, The Knife Media, Rainbow Cultural Garden for children, the University program, and of course, there's DOS. All of these various curricula have their roots in Raniere's method known as Rational Inquiry.
  9. ^ Kranc, Lauren (September 8, 2021). "How NXIVM Seduced Hollywood Stars and America's Most Powerful Elite Into a Barbaric 'Sex Cult'". Esquire. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Schwartz, Drew (September 12, 2020). "Why So Many Celebrities Joined NXIVM, According to Cult Experts". Vice.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Refinery29 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Cult of Personality". Forbes. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  13. ^ Gish, James M. Odato and Jennifer (February 11, 2012). "Secrets of NXIVM". Times Union. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference VF1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "A Critical Analysis of the Executive Success Programs Inc". www.cs.cmu.edu. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  16. ^ Meier, Barry (October 17, 2017). "Inside a Secretive Group Where Women Are Branded". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Superseding Indictment" (PDF), United States of America v. Keith Raniere (Court Filing), no. 1:18-cr-204, Docket 430, E.D.N.Y., March 13, 2019, retrieved July 2, 2022 – via Recap (PACER current docket viewPaid subscription required)
  18. ^ Burton, Tara Isabella (April 25, 2018). "Seagram's heiress arrested for role in controversial 'sex cult'". Vox. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018.
  19. ^ Dickson, E. J. (October 8, 2019). "How NXIVM Was the Ultimate Wellness Scam". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  20. ^ "Founder Of "Nxivm," a Purported Self-Help Organization, and Five Others Charged in Superseding Indictment with Racketeering Conspiracy". Department of Justice. July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  21. ^ Campbell, Jon. "NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman pleads guilty in case of alleged cult". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  22. ^ "Nxivm: Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman pleads guilty in 'sex cult' case". BBC News. April 20, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  23. ^ "Woman implicated in NXIVM sex slave case pleads guilty". CBS News. March 29, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  24. ^ Moynihan, Colin; Gold, Michael (April 8, 2019). "Allison Mack of 'Smallville' Pleads Guilty in Case of Nxivm 'Sex Cult' Where Women Were Branded". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  25. ^ Saul, Emily; Brown, Ruth (May 31, 2019). "Nxivm accountant spelled out dirty messages with colorful fridge magnets". New York Post. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  26. ^ Arnold, Amanda (April 19, 2019). "The Most Disturbing Details From the NXIVM Sex-Cult Case". The Cut. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  27. ^ Shea, Courtney (February 8, 2019). "How Nxivm Targeted Women". Chatelaine. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  28. ^ "Leader of NY Group Branded Women, Made Them Sex Slaves: Feds". NBC 4 New York. Associated Press. March 26, 2018. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  29. ^ Moynihan, Colin (June 19, 2019). "Nxivm Trial: Leader Convicted After Trial Exposed Sex Cult's Sordid Inner Workings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019. On Wednesday, jurors in Federal District Court in Brooklyn sided with prosecutors. They found Keith Raniere, the leader of the cultlike group near Albany known as Nxivm, guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking, ending a six-week trial that exposed the sordid inner workings of the organization.
  30. ^ Thebault, Reis (June 19, 2019). "He told women he could help. Instead, he branded them with his initials and made them sex slaves". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  31. ^ Hong, Nicole (September 30, 2020). "Clare Bronfman Is Sentenced to 81 Months in Nxivm 'Sex Cult' Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  32. ^ Hays, Tom (June 30, 2021). "Actor Allison Mack gets 3 years in NXIVM sex-slave case". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  33. ^ Blistein, Jon (September 8, 2021). "NXIVM Co-Founder Nancy Salzman Sentenced: 'I Am Horrified and Ashamed'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  34. ^ WNYT Staff (October 6, 2021). "NXIVM's bookkeeper avoids jail time in sentencing". WNYT.com NewsChannel 13. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  35. ^ Moynihan, Colin (July 28, 2021). "Nxivm Member Avoids Prison After Helping to Convict Sex Cult Leader". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  36. ^ Whiting, Amanda (August 30, 2020). "Where NXIVM Stands Two Years After Leader Keith Raniere's Arrest". Bustle. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  37. ^ "The Government's Sentencing Memorandum: As to Defendant Keith Raniere" (PDF). WNYT. 2017.
  38. ^ "'The Vow' Star Mark Vicente on the 'Horror' of NXIVM". Hollywood Reporter. September 25, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  39. ^ Hong, Nicole; Piccoli, Sean (October 27, 2020). "Keith Raniere, Leader of Nxivm Sex Cult, Is Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2020.