Keith Raniere, founder of the cultlike group Nxivm, sits at the center of a trial in Brooklyn that is all but certain not to bore its jurors.
“If the questions that were asked of prospective jurors are any indication, the racketeering and sex-trafficking trial of Keith Raniere, founder of the cultlike group Nxivm, may require not only stamina from the jury, but also the ability to listen to potentially uncomfortable testimony,” noted the New York Times.
Raniere, 58, has pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking and other charges; his attorneys reportedly are fighting what they claim are “unusual and dubious” protections that would violate his constitutional right to confront his accusers.
Before choosing a jury on Monday morning, the Paper of Record continued, “a judge in federal court in Brooklyn winnowed the pool of possible jurors with a questionnaire appeared to ask, among other things, whether they can be fair to someone with multiple sexual partners and how they feel about sexually explicit images and possibly “skin modifications (such as tattoos and branding).”
Some of what those jurors will hear was summarized recently by a web site called thecut.com. “Co-founder Nancy Salzman admitted in court that she tracked and monitored women within NXIVM. Nancy Salzman, who was the first person involved in the case to plead guilty to her single charge of racketeering conspiracy, tearfully confessed in court on March 13 that she tracked and monitored the usernames and passwords of suspected moles in the group to ensure they weren’t leaking details about the group’s inner workings. She also admitted that she ordered others to “destroy video tapes” that documented Raniere’s “teachings.”
The plot thickens even more, thecut.com points out in the same piece. “Prosecutors believe that founder Keith Raniere had sex with a 15-year-old girl, who later became his first “slave.” At a Brooklyn courthouse on March 14, Raniere — who was already facing forced labor, wire fraud conspiracy, human trafficking, and sex trafficking charges — was hit with an additional charge of child pornography. According to prosecutors, Raniere documented himself engaging in sexual conduct with a 15-year-old girl, who would go on to become his first “slave.” Prosecutors also accused Raniere of having had a sexual relationship with at least one other child, and of possessing child pornography between 2005 and 2018.”
“Authorities claimed that a doctor — who is currently being investigated by state health officials — branded the women in the “sorority” with a cautery pen without anesthesia,” noted Fox News. “Eight “Jane Does” in that case have refused to answer questions, saying through their lawyers “the branding was a voluntary free expression of personal beliefs.” In the court papers, defense lawyers have similarly claimed the alleged victims were never abused, saying the women were “independent, smart, curious adults” seeking “happiness, fulfillment and meaning.”
