THEY BACK HIM
Sex-cult leader’s followers seek mercy
More than 50 supporters of NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere wrote to a Brooklyn federal judge in support of the convicted sex trafficker ahead of his Oct. 27 sentencing.
Every single one of the 56 who vouched for Raniere, 60, was a member of the NXIVM organization, most taking classes in the company’s Executive Success Programs.
“Despite what anyone has said or written, I have seen him [Raniere] treat everyone he meets the same way: with kindness, openness and respect. I have never seen him shy away from criticism; in fact, he welcomes it,” wrote “Battlestar Galactica” actress Nicole Clyne, who has been a part of NXIVM since 2005.
The letters, unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court less than a week before Raniere’s sentencing, paint a one-sided
portrait of Raniere as a warm genius who treated members of the group with respect and didn’t need to be coercive in order to have sex.
Numerous letters also portray the government witnesses in the case as sinister anti-Raniere operatives with ulterior motives,
and accused the prosecution of threatening potential defense witnesses.
One woman who wrote on Raniere’s behalf, Michele, alleged that lead prosecutor Moira Penza threatened to charge her with perjury if she testified at trial.
“I wanted to speak, I wanted to share anything I could to clarify what was becoming a dangerous misunderstanding. However, the government’s threats unfortunately worked, for myself and many,” Michele alleged in the letter to judge Nicholas Garaufis.
Raniere was convicted of sex trafficking, racketeering and conspiracy in June 2019.
Authorities charged Raniere was the “grand master” of a subgroup of women within NXIVM known as DOS who were branded with the sex cult leader’s initials above their genitals, and who were forced to give over “collateral” — often nude photos — to ensure they wouldn’t leave the group or disobey orders.
Raniere faces life in prison at his sentencing. NXIVM board member Clare Bronfman, who bankrolled the NXIVM enterprise, has already been sentenced to more than six years in prison.