At the time I was interested in what could measurably help people to be more joyful, Roberts said. She added The Post that Edmondson and some 80 NXIVM participants are launching a civil lawsuit against her and others in the organization. On occasion, you can get a small electric shock from cauterizing. A branding artist in Brooklyn provided tutelage. Keith Raniere, 58, co-founded Nxivm (pronounced nex-ee-um) in the 1990s as a self-help organization based in a suburban town in upstate New York. NXIVM suspended operations on June 12, 2018. Mr. Raniere acknowledged giving five women permission to do something, but did not elaborate, other than to say he would investigate, Mr. Vicente said. They destroyed my career and my reputation. Ms. Mehdaoui, 25, was a newcomer to Nxivm, but the two had grown close. ACTRESS Sarah Edmondson was a member of the US sex cult Nxivm for 12 years. Im very sorry for the victims of this case, she said during her plea proceeding. The women, both in their early 40s, were close and Ms. Edmondson regarded Ms. Salzman as a confidante and mentor. I was mortified and told him that it was not truthful in how they spun it. Nevertheless, she added, My employer would not renew my contract.. Edmondson fled Nxivm shortly after her March 2017 branding and is one of the few members to speak on the record about her experience, first in The New York Times Oct. 17 expos and now in A&E Investigates upcoming docuseries Cults and Extreme Belief. They felt bad-ass after enduring the pain. By then, panic was spreading inside Nxivm. He styled himself as the grandmaster of a secret society within NXIVM called DOS, while its members, all women, were his sexual slaves. The pyramid schemes the organization utilized were also Ranieres creation. 44. He collaborated with the first line members in the groups creation and he hoped the women would take over going forward, Mr. Agnifilo said. El primer video revelado de las ceremonias en las que NXIVM marcaba a mujeres. The lawsuit includes 80 anonymous claimants. It symbolized our solidarity. You can be excited about overcoming pain. (Submitted by Sarah Edmondson) A Vancouver woman who went public with allegations of sex slavery inside a cult-like self-empowerment group is among . It was about trust. Some were said to have been assigned by their masters to have sex with Mr. Raniere. The women, who were referred to as slaves, were illustrating their submission in an indelible way: Their skin was seared with a symbol that included Mr. Ranieres initials. Not saying we should start prepping but we should start prepping. India also recalled the initiation ceremony into DOS where she was unknowingly branded with Ranieres initials. Feds claim Raniere and his slave masters blackmailed women with collateral in order to keep them compliant. 2023 Met Gala Carpet Is Approved by Your Dentist. She currently resides in Wisconsin, living rent-free in a sympathetic friends home. He also discussed how these women should be positioned in order to video-record the ceremony, such as laying on the back, legs slightly, or legs spread straight like, like feet, feet being held to the side of the table, hands probably above the head being held, almost like being tied down, like sacrificial, whatever., Asked for comment on the prosecutors recommendation, one of the lawyers on Macks case, Susan G. Kellman, said in an email, Why not ask one of her branded slaves? The band have become the very thing their critics accuse them of. The new recordings of Mr. Ranieres meetings with first line D.O.S. Please brand me, it would be an honor he offers, trailing off. In her book, Edmondson describes the branding pain as causing her to disassociate myself out of my body. But Roberts claims to possess proof of something else: I have the video of Sarah [being branded] She was so moved at the end that she kissed her teacher Lauren [Salzman, who avoided jail time by testifying against Raniere]. A Nxivm follower, Soukaina Mehdaoui, said she reached out to Mr. Raniere after reading the post. She overcame her challenges and worked her way through New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, finishing her residency in 2011 and partnering in an alternative-medical practice in Long Island. Ms. Oxenberg had become increasingly concerned about her 26-year-old daughter, India, who looked emaciated from dieting. What I was learning was the opposite. State medical regulators also declined to act on a complaint filed against another Nxivm-affilated physician, Brandon Porter. Mr. Raniere has denied wrongdoing. She s. I wept the whole time, Ms. Edmondson recalled. It is the love of the purest beings that walk the earth., Nxivm Branding Was Scripted by Sex Cult Leader to Be Like a Sacrifice, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/26/nyregion/nxivm-cult-trial-branding.html. India also spoke with People ahead of the upcoming STARZ documentary Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult and gave more disturbing details about that night in January 2016. Both Nxivm and Mr. Raniere, 57, have long attracted controversy. Some people were willing to take responsibility for that while others claimed to be victims of their choices.. VIDEO: Branding ceremony footage (news coverage in Spanish). Sarah Edmondson, one of the participants, said she had been told she would get a small tattoo as part of the initiation. I dont know if that, thats a feeling of submission, you know, Raniere said in that recording. He had his cellphone in his pocket and turned on its recorder. To gain admission, they were required to give their recruiter or master, as she was called naked photographs or other compromising material and were warned that such collateral might be publicly released if the groups existence were disclosed. I did a lot of sy things when I was in my 20s, and it took me time to get my st together, Salzman sobbed, referencing Danielas age at the time. Smallville star Allison. I dont have a problem with somebody saying they want to have a swinger lifestyle. I knew what I was up against. Mack expressed remorse during her hearing last year. Both women attended the first meeting for Ranieres self-help group together, but it was India who was slowly brainwashed as she was led astray from her mom. Want to catch up on NXIVM news? The branding video depicted Sarah naked and being branded and stating, as she . reddit. Unbridled Evil: The Corrupt Reign of Jiang Zemin in China. (Elizabeth Williams via AP). Absolutely.. Before Sarah broke her word, went public and started scaring the daylights out of people, everything was fine, Roberts told The Post. In an exclusive video clip obtained by RadarOnline.com NXIVM sex cult member Sarah Edmondson tells A&E about the 'excruciating' moment she was seared open with a hot iron and branded with leader . The Nxivm founders disturbing fantasies were captured on an audio recording by Smallville actress and DOS slave Allison Mack, while the two took an early morning walk together on January 9, 2017. Mr. Ranieres trial in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, which is set to enter its fourth week on Tuesday, has had no shortage of surprising, even shocking, moments. Absolutely. A former NXIVM cult member is speaking candidly about her ordeal. India, now 29, is the daughter of Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg. But the ceremonial branding of some women involved in Nxivm followed a script created by the leader, Keith Raniere, and a handful of select followers who had promised complete obedience to him, according to four recorded conversations introduced last week as evidence in his racketeering and sex trafficking trial. Salzman noted that though Raniere appeared to simply be giving suggestions in the recording, everything he said was incorporated into the ceremony, including word-for-word the phrase that members would say about wanting to get branded. To become effective, members had to overcome weaknesses that Mr. Raniere taught were common to women an overemotional nature, a failure to keep promises and an embrace of the role of victim, according to Ms. Edmondson and other members. Slaves added compromising collateral every month to Dropbox accounts, and a Google Document was used to list a timetable for recruiting new slaves, several women said. Terms of Service apply. 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It probably should be a more vulnerable position, Raniere describes to Mack, referring to how members should present themselves during the branding ceremony. Mark Vicente, a filmmaker and former top Nxivm official, said that after hearing about the secret society, he confronted Mr. Raniere. The brandings were connected to a Nxivm subset called D.O.S. Roberts employment options dwindled. Marrying the Ghost of Karl Lagerfeld at the 2023 Met Gala. And I wasnt gonna do that.. They were empowered. Smallville star Allison Mack was one of those masters and India said it was the actress who introduced her to the society under the guise of female empowerment. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. At the federal court in Brooklyn, the prosecution played a recording of a conversation between former Smallville actress Allison Mack and Raniere. 41. In a letter and in emails, the leader of Nxivm tried to distance himself from the branding ritual that had led some members to break away from the cultlike group. The voice of a woman who Mr. Ames said is Lauren Salzman is heard trying to calm him. The women were then driven to a nearby house, where the branding took place. In March 2018, Lauren Salzman, a high-ranking member in the self-empowerment organization NXIVM and a so-called "master" in the alleged sex cult DOS, was making a smoothie in the kitchen of a . I was scared to death but it didn't matter if I was scared, Catherine told the magazine. Things you buy through our links may earnVox Mediaa commission. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Evidence of the process within the NXIVN cult first emerged in The New York Times thanks to escaped follower Sarah Edmondson, who herself was branded. We were starved. She was a serious gymnast for nine years, but stopped at 13 due to ankle injuries, and struggled with compulsive eating as a teenager. Keith Raniere helped design the ritual, according to recordings introduced during his federal trial. Each woman was told to undress and lie on a massage table, while three others restrained her legs and shoulders. Here, she reveals how she was brutally branded in her most intimate area, threatened with the leak of intimate videos . Im very sorry for who Ive hurt through my misguided adherence to Keith Ranieres teachings.. Mr. Raniere texted back about his initials and the brand. I think Keith is a brilliant man and that DOS is a tremendous organization, she told The Post during an exclusive interview. Watch: India Oxenberg recalls NXIVMs branding, When India Oxenberg joined NXIVM at age 19, she was interested in the groups personal success and empowerment program. Salzman, who has pleaded guilty in the case, confirmed all branding ceremonies were videotaped. The monogram as it is right now is very directly related to my initials, Mr. Raniere said in a meeting recorded in 2016. He was convicted of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire-fraud conspiracy, forced-labor conspiracy, sex-trafficking conspiracy, and two counts of sex trafficking on June 19, 2019, after a six-week trial. Keith is Keith Raniere,the leader of the notorious sex cult based in Clifton Park, NY, that purported to deliver members self-empowerment. Ms. Edmondson, who lives in Vancouver and helped start Nxivms chapter there, was thrilled when Lauren Salzman arrived in January to teach workshops. I lied to everybody, Ms. Salzman testified about Mr. Ranieres involvement in D.O.S. The brand was a symbol incorporating Ranieres initials that was burned onto the skin of DOS members with a cauterizing pen, during a process that took 20 to 30 minutes,according to court documents. But it seems that no one else is liking the minty-fresh look. Four years later, in 2015, the Justice Department indicted him on charges of fraud and other crimes arising from alleged activities, including defrauding the Bronfmans. ', Met Gala red carpet 2023: Margaret Qualley, Maya Hawke, Lily Collins and more grown-up celebrity kids lead fashion's biggest night, The It List: Menudo docuseries makes the case for Menendez brothers' innocence, new doc sheds light on early years of King Charles, Megan Fox goes blonde in 'Johnny & Clyde' and all the best in pop culture the week of May 1, 2023. Copyright 2000 - 2023 The Epoch Times Association Inc. All Rights Reserved. Because the truth is, I didn't see a future for myself when I was there. NXIVM Dos branding video (leaked cult video Mexican news)? I didnt understand that it was dozens, 20, 30 Vicente says. The women being initiated did not know until they entered the room that Roberts would be the one to brand them. But the branding of women who joined a clandestine sorority within Nxivm, called The Vow or D.O.S., is at the heart of the Nxivm case, providing the most visible and graphic example of Mr. Ranieres control. I dont think you are open to having a conversation, she said. I looked presentable because it was very meaningful to me. The other women were necessary in order to hold down the person being branded. The fact that Moira Penza [the lead government attorney in the Raniere trial] did not consider me as a subject of the investigation is somewhat of an insult to me, said Roberts. The group discussed how to obscure that fact, with one woman saying, If you have a husband, and now you have this thing, I think theyre going to try to figure it out., Another woman said the brand seemed like a cool, kind of alien symbol., Mr. Raniere said in the conversation with Ms. Mack that the brandings could evoke a feeling of submission, and that women should ask to be branded before being held down so it doesnt seem like theyre being coerced. He added that videotaping the brandings would provide additional collateral and that women should therefore be placed in a more vulnerable position.. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Scroll down for video Hypocritic oath: Dr. Danielle Roberts (above) has been named by former Nxivm members as the person responsible for branding women in the sex-slave cult You just dont realize what is happening.. Saying no meant hurting my family or hurting my friends. But I am proud of who I am and who I am becoming by staying true to myself despite tremendous forces to turn against my friends or claim to be victims.. Inside a Secretive Group Where Women Are Branded, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/17/nyregion/nxivm-women-branded-albany.html. By John Riley john.riley@newsday.com May 20, 2019. India shares she later learned she was branded with the initials of the leader, but at the time they were told it was a symbol of the elements. Do you think the person who is being branded should be completely nude and sort of held to the table like a sort of, almost, like a sacrifice? Mr. Raniere asked the actress Allison Mack in one recording. It was maybe two minutes of pain all told., She admitted that some of the women needed breathers mid-branding, but said this wasnt necessarily a bad thing. And that was all strategic. Ms. Salzman, who was a first line master in D.O.S., testified that Mr. Raniere came up with a plan to say that the brand was not meant to include his initials but represented the seven chakras, the four elements, or Bar Alpha Mu a combination, apparently, of a mathematical symbol and two Greek letters. She said it had been formed as a force for good, one that could grow into a network that could influence events like elections. Before quitting, Mr. Ames went to Nxivms offices in Albany to collect money he said the group owed him. I did not have the option to say no, India added, noting collateral often meant handing over damaging information about ones family. She made it sound like a bad-ass bitch boot camp, Ms. Edmondson said. Her husband, Anthony Ames, who was also a Nxivm member, learned about her branding and the couple both wanted out. Mack said OK in response to Ranieres directions. India, who has been undergoing two years of intensive therapy and cult deprogramming, said shes ready to finally share her story. There were [readings] about [the womens] commitments to their masters and to their selves. After Ms. Edmondson wrote a letter detailing past indiscretions, Ms. Salzman told her about the secret sorority. 2 in DOS. Doja Cat Becomes an Actual Cat for Met Gala. By many accounts, Mr. Raniere sleeps during the day and goes out at night to play volleyball or take female followers for long walks. that he had repeatedly assured others he had nothing to do with. Dr. That was the beginning of continual sexual abuse. After a story about the branding ran in The New York Times, he emailed a draft position statement to the first line masters, according to testimony. Ms. Mehdaoui said that when she went to say goodbye to Mr. Raniere, he urged her to stay. Now, as talk about the secret sisterhood and branding has circulated within Nxivm, scores of members are leaving. Sarah Edmondson, 42, spent 12 years in the cult led by the charismatic Keith Raniere. We've received your submission. This man needs to be stopped.. Women should be completely nude, he suggested, and held to the table. By the time the secret group was taking shape, Mark Vicente, the filmmaker, had been a faithful follower of Mr. Raniere for more than a decade. You have the person teaching them having sex with them as part of their growth? she says. This story has been shared 188,869 times. That's years of grooming. Raniere also said the branding ritual itself should be recorded on video from different angles to be used as collateral.DOS members were allegedly recruited on the condition that they give up personal, often embarrassing, information about themselves, including compromising images or videos, referred to as collateral. Roberts grew up in East Moriches, NY, in Suffolk County, the studious daughter of a homebuilder father and waitress mother. 2 yr. ago. As the recordings were played to the jury, witness Lauren Salzmana former member of NXIVM who was part of the DOS inner circleanswered questions from the prosecution concerning certain quotes. The blackmail scheme worked on India. Thats all Ive got, Kellmans email ended. Prosecutors said that NXIVM, an Albany-area group that offered expensive self-help classes, had a secretive inner circle called DOS that "operated with levels of women 'slaves' headed by. During her visit, Ms. Salzman said she had something really amazing she wanted to share.
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