‘Cult’ guru accused of trafficking
UNITED STATES: The head of a secretive group that offered guidance to chief executives and Hollywood actresses on ‘‘ethical’’ leadership was brought back to New York yesterday to face sex trafficking charges and allegations that he turned female followers into sex slaves branded with his initials.
Keith Raniere, 57, was arrested on Monday at a villa in Mexico where he was alleged to be hiding with several female followers.
He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison if found guilty.
Raniere was once described as ‘‘the world’s strangest executive coach’’. His business leadership group NXIVM is said to have advised a chief executive of Enron, the daughter of a Mexican president, and Hollywood actresses. He also won over two young heiresses of the Seagram whisky empire.
Prosecutors say Raniere established NXIVM 20 years ago as a pyramid scheme in which members paid US$5000 for a fiveday workshop and were encouraged to recruit others. They said the NXIVM curriculum included ‘‘teachings about the need for men to have multiple sexual partners and the need for women to be monogamous’’.
‘‘Raniere has maintained a rotating group of 15 to 20 women with whom he maintains sexual relationships,’’ they said.
New initiates had to provide ’’collateral’’ in the form of assets or compromising videos of themselves, which would be released if they left the organisation.