Hollywood sex cult

» Women branded ‘to show allegiance’ » ‘Leader had 15-20 lovers on rotation’

iation, such as being forced to wear fake cow udders on their bare breasts.

Since 2002, up to 16,000 women have bought into Raniere’s hype and taken his seminars across the world.

Two of them were Clare Bronfman and her sister Sara, who brought with them their large chequebooks.

Before his death in 2013, their father, Edgar Bronfman Sr said of Nxivm “I think it’s a cult”. He said he had not spoken to his daughters in months because of the millions they had donated to the organisation.

Despite various exposes – one of which led actress Goldie Hawn to pull out of a Nxivm speaking engagement – Raniere had a hold over thousands of women, allegedly trying to involve actress Emma Watson, 28, and American singer Kelly Clarkson, 36.

Raniere allegedly used his influence in Nxivm for his own sexual gratification. Prosecutors wrote in their criminal complaint against Raniere that he had “a rotating group of 15 to 20 women with whom he maintains sexual relationships”.

Christine Marie, who was hired by Nxivm in 1998 and soon began a sexual relationship with Raniere, said: “I found it fascinating these beautiful, smart women knew about each other and didn’t seem upset to share Keith.”

She added: “Still, it seemed like secret polygamy to me.”

Raniere’s twisted sexual beliefs made their way into the Nxivm curriculum, too, with “disturbing hypotheticals” that challenged “whether incest and rape are actually wrong”, prosecutors say.

Allegations in court documents include one that Raniere “physically assaulted at least two intimate partners” and punished one woman in her 20s who developed romantic feelings for someone else, ordering that she be confined for 18 months.

He also created an off-shoot “men’s movement”, where women were humiliated for their “weakness”.

They were “forced to wear fake cow udders over their breasts while people called them derogatory names”, prosecutors allege. If convicted, Bronfman, Raniere, Mack, and three others face up to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, forced labour conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges.

Clare Bronfman was a member of Nxivm’s executive board and alleged financial backer from 2009 to 2018.

Prosecutors accuse her of helping keep the sex ring going with a “master” and “slave” structure designed to extract free labour and get sexual services for Raniere.

It is alleged she made it possible for Raniere to use a dead person’s credit card account by arranging to pay the monthly bill. Raniere used the card as part of a scheme to avoid paying taxes, prosecutors said.

Bronfman is also accused of leading efforts to discredit victims of a sorority dubbed DOS – derived from a Latin phrase that translates as “Master of the Obedient Female Companions” – which ran within Nxivm.

Despite the shocking abuse claims, some cult members remain loyal to Raniere, including the daughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg.

The Dynasty star says 26-year-old India has been brainwashed and has rejected claims that the group’s alarming behaviour was consensual.

She said: “Ultimately, they are all victims of Keith Raniere.”