He had sexually exploited his followers for years – now self-help guru Keith Raniere has been sentenced to 120 years in prison in New York. Four of Ranier’s helpers are still waiting for their sentence.
Keith Raniere officially marketed his organization Nxivm as a self-help group since the 1990s, but unofficially, women were sexually abused there. For this, the 60-year-old Raniere will probably spend the rest of his life in prison.
A court in Brooklyn, New York, sentenced him to 120 years. In addition, Judge Nicholas Garaufis ordered a fine of 1.75 million dollars (about 1.5 million euros).
The prosecution had previously called for a life sentence for Raniere, the defense 15 years. In June 2019, Raniere was convicted of sex trafficking, sexual exploitation and fraud, among other things.
“Control regime over women”
The sentence of 120 years in prison shows the “extent of the horrific crimes,” said prosecutor Seth DuCharme.
“Raniere’s regime of control over women he has physically and emotionally hurt is like a horror story,” said New York FBI deputy chief William Sweeney.
“The sexual exploitation, abuse, loneliness and mind control that the victims have experienced under his guidance are unimaginable. Today the judge has given him 120 years to ponder whether the torture he is more than.” exercised on people for a decade, and the desperation it brought on their families was worth it in the end.
Hours of testimony from the victims
15 victims had testified at the hearing – including India Oxenberg, the daughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg. “You are a sex criminal and you raped me,” she told Raniere in court, according to the US media. Another woman reported how Raniere raped her as a minor.
During the trial, Raniere had shown no remorse, instead calling for a new trial again and again. At the sentencing ceremony, he continued to plead his innocence and accused some of the women of lying, but also said he was very sorry for causing so much pain and anger. Numerous supporters of Raniere had gathered in front of the court.
In the late 1990s, Raniere founded the Nxivm organization with headquarters near Albany in the US state of New York. According to media reports, around 18,000 people have attended the organization’s expensive “self-optimization courses”.
Lawsuits against supporters too
At the beginning of October, the millionaire heiress Clare Bronfman was sentenced to 81 months in prison as an assistant. She is said to have supported Nxvim with her assets from the former spirits company Seagram and her social status and intimidated opponents.
Four other Raniere helpers have pleaded guilty and are currently waiting for their respective sentences – including the German-born actress Allison Mack, who became famous with the TV series “Smallville”, among other things.
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