NXIVM 'Sex Cult' Leader Keith Raniere Has Been Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison [Updated]

Keith Raniere—leader of the ostensible “self-help” company NXIVM that was actually accused by former members of being a cult with a secret sex cult built within it, which branded women and coerced them into starvation—is heading to court on Tuesday. Prosecutors believe he should be sentenced to life in prison, “a punishment that is typically reserved for cases involving deaths or murders,” The New York Times reports.

As you may recall, in June 2019 Raniere was found guilty on seven counts, including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and attempted sex trafficking. He has remained in prison in Brooklyn since the conviction.

Raniere’s sentencing is expected to include hours of statements from NXIVM victims, including from India Oxenberg, daughter of actor Catherine Oxenberg, who told Vanity Fair earlier this month, “I want to have that last moment of me saying my piece to him there in the room. I’m scared to do it, but I feel like I need it.” She added, “I don’t think that he is able to repair himself. I think he is somebody who is a danger in society. And if he is let out, I believe that he’ll do exactly the same thing that he’s always done.” She also told Good Morning America that Raniere is a “predator,” and that DOS, the “sex cult” in question, was branded as a women’s empowerment group but really “was a trap and it was a ploy for Keith to enslave women for his own sexual desires… I was commanded to do a seduction assignment. That was the beginning of continual sexual abuse. And I didn’t see it as that at the time. I would describe that sexual relationship as rape [now.]”

On Friday, Raniere gave a rare interview with NBC News from jail, where he maintained, “I am innocent,” and claimed that prosecutors “scared away witnesses” who could’ve convinced the jury of his innocence. “This is a horrible tragedy with many, many people being hurt,” he said. “There is a horrible injustice here. And whether you think I’m the devil or not, the justice process has to be examined.”

Jezebel will continue to follow Raniere’s sentencing, and will update this post accordingly.

Update (4:29 p.m.): Keith Raniere, mastermind behind the NXIVM
‘sex cult,’ has been sentenced to 120 years in prison for his crimes—essentially,
life in prison, The New York Times reports.

According to
Jaclyn Cangro of Spectrum News Albany, 15 victims spoke on Tuesday, 13 of
which were women. Kristin
Keeffe, former NXIVM member who had a child with Keith, told the
court, “I can never get back the 20 years
he’s subjected me to.”

The woman
identified as his first “sex slave,” Camilla, was 15 years old when Raniere
brought her and her two sisters from Mexico in 2005 to his Albany, NY NXIVM
headquarters, The New York Post reports.
He impregnated all three of them and forced them to have abortions, Daniela,
one of the sisters, testified.
According to Cangro, one of the sisters said in court, “I survived not because
you were merciful. Because I was resilient.” Another said,
“Survival is instinctive, even in the most extreme
circumstances.” The oldest daughter still follows Raniere and has a child
with him.

Camila was the
first victim to testify in court on Tuesday, according
to The New York Times, where she told the court, “I want to move on, but he has damaged me
in so many ways.” She said their “relationship” began when she was 15
and he was 45. It lasted 12 years, he expected her to make herself available
for sex at any moment and order her to weigh less than 100 pounds.

India Oxenberg, daughter
of actor Catherine Oxenberg and former NXIVM member addressed Raniere directly.
“You are a sexual predator, and
you raped me,” she
said. “When you touched me, I
recoiled.” She
also said that Keith placed a 106-pound limit on her—“he wanted me to look
like a 12-year-old girl”—forcing her to starve and, as a result, lose her
period.