[ad_1]
The victims of Keith Raniere (60) can breathe a sigh of relief: the guru of the sex sect has been sentenced to 120 years in prison in New York.
In his NXIVM sect, disguised as a self-help organization, he kept his followers as sex slaves. The youngest victim was only 15 years old.
India Oxenberg was also one of his victims
In court he claimed to the last that sex with women was always consensual. Some of these women had Raniere’s initials engraved on their skin, according to prosecutors. During this marking ritual, they were held and filmed by other women.
According to prosecutors, Raniere exerted enormous financial and psychological pressure on his disciples. A five-day course cost the equivalent of around 4500 francs, which is why many women got into debt and had to work for him.
The so-called psycho coach has also cast a spell on important women. Among the victims of NXIVM there was also the American actress India Oxenberg (29), daughter of the “Denver Clan” actress Catherine Oxenberg (59). The 29-year-old testified in court against the cult guru. As reported by the US media, she approached him directly in the courtroom and said, “You are a sex offender and you raped me.”
Raniere sentenced to the maximum penalty
About 20 years after NXIVM was founded, the cult leader was finally arrested in 2018. In June 2019, a court found him guilty. Among other things due to sex trafficking and the formation of a criminal organization.
According to the current ruling, the Rainier will remain behind bars until the end of his life. The New York court sentenced him to the maximum penalty for extortion, sex trafficking and possession of child pornography. This punishment shows the “scale of the horrific crimes”, so claims prosecutor Seth DuCharme.
The deputy head of the FBI in New York, William Sweeney, described the “Ranieres control regime” as “a horror story”: “Today the judge gave him 120 years to think about whether the torture he was torturing was more than a decade long exercised on people, and in the end the despair it brought to their families was worth it. “
His accomplices are also awaiting a judgment
In early October, millionaire heiress Clare Bronfman (41) was sentenced to 81 months in prison as Raniere’s assistant. He is said to have supported NXIVM with his resources from the former “Seagram” spirit group and with his social status and intimidated opponents. Bronfman’s attorney had announced that they would challenge the verdict.
Four other aides of Raniere have pleaded guilty and are currently awaiting their respective sentences. Among them is the German-born actress Allison Mack (38), who became famous, among other things, with the TV series “Smallville”.
According to the prosecutor, Mack was recruiting new members for the sect. In court she said in tears: “I must take full responsibility for my actions. I am very sorry for my role in this case. “(sda / frk)
Source link
