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Keith Raniere
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Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Vow Part II' On HBO Max, Which Concentrates On Keith Raniere's Trial For His Part In The NXIVM Sex Cult
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Keith Raniere, the NXIVM cult leader featured in The Vow and Seduced, has been sentenced to 120 years in prison, the New York Times reports. Raniere’s sentencing comes after he was first convicted on seven charges in 2019, including racketeering, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child and human trafficking.
Raniere was sentenced today in Brooklyn, where 15 of his victims provided testimony over the course of multiple hours. One victim testified that she was only 15 years old in 2005 when Raniere, then 45 years old, began having sex with her. “I want to move on, but he has damaged me in so many ways,” she said.
Another statement during the sentencing came from India Oxenberg, who said Raniere tried to turn her against her mother, Catherine Oxenberg. India said Raniere encouraged her to maintain a dangerously thin weight and expected her to wait for him, naked. “You are a sexual predator, and you raped me,” she said. “When you touched me, I recoiled.”
Barbara Bouchey and Toni Natalie also shared statements, and NXIVM whistleblowers Mark Vicente and Sarah Edmondson appeared at the sentencing via video.
Raniere, who held onto some loyal supporters despite his trial and conviction, has not expressed any regret for his actions, and was silent after today’s conviction. In an interview with NBC News last week, per Entertainment Tonight, he maintained his innocence. “Although it is, this is a horrible tragedy with many, many people being hurt, I think the main thrust of this has been the oppression but really a different issue, which is hard for me to express,” 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.”
Last month, NXIVM member Clare Bronfman was also sentenced. The Seagram’s heiress and Raniere benefactor received 81 months for her role in the sex cult that branded women, but still maintained her support for the cult leader. In a letter to the court this summer, Bronfman insisted she “never meant to hurt anyone, however I have and for this I am deeply sorry.” She added, “Nxivm and Keith greatly changed my life for the better.”
