The founder of Allison Mack’s sex cult Nxivm was just convicted of all charges
In March 2018, reports emerged linking Smallville actresses Allison Mack and Kristin Kreuk to Nxivm—a purported self-help company accused of being a sex cult. As more details emerged, Mack and the organization’s founder, Keith Raniere, were arrested on charges that included sex trafficking, thus beginning a long legal battle.
Today, June 19th, a jury officially found Raniere guilty of all charges.
According to CNN, Raniere was found guilty of all charges against him after a six-week trial in a federal court in New York. The jury reached its verdict after five hours, convicting the Nxivm founder of seven charges that included sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking, racketeering, forced labor, and wire fraud conspiracy. Raniere’s sentencing hearing is set for September 25th.
Per CNN, Richard Donoghue, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, told reporters outside the courthouse that Raniere’s “victims will finally see justice.”
"This trial has revealed that Raniere, who portrayed himself as a savant and a genius, was in fact a massive manipulator, a con man, and the crime boss of a cult-like organization involved in sex trafficking, child pornography, extortion, compelled abortions, branding, degradation and humiliation," Donoghue also said, according to CNN.
Keith Raniere, founder of the Nxivm self-help group that prosecutors say housed a secret sex cult, is found guilty of trafficking and other crimes. Follow live updates: https://t.co/94zjrORcO5 pic.twitter.com/EISculUEOM
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) June 19, 2019
The New York Times reports that Raniere was accused of operating a secret group within Nxivm called D.O.S. or “The Vow.” The trial included testimony from women who said that, as part of this group, Raniere forced them to have sex with him and branded them with his initials. Some of the women also described physical abuse, such as being whipped. Prosecutors also alleged that Raniere committed fraud for financial gain. In one purported instance, he used a dead Nxivm member’s bank account to write checks worth a combined $300,000 and rang up more than $100,000 on her credit card.
According to The Guardian, Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in April. The former actress was alleged to have recruited other women to join Nxivm and become “sex slaves” for Raniere.
"I believed Keith Raniere’s intentions were to help people and I was wrong," she told the judge, per The Guardian.
Because neither Mack nor Raniere have been sentenced yet, the Nxivm trials aren’t over. We’ll be watching for more updates on this case, but for now, we’re relieved to see that Raniere’s crimes are being taken seriously.
