Accused sex cult leader Keith Raniere was a paranoid nutcase convinced that he was being spied on by authorities, a former high-ranking Nxivm member testified Thursday.
Raniere, also known to his followers as “Vanguard” or “Grandmaster,” believed he was being hunted for his smarts, Mark Vicente told jurors.
“He considered himself to be a person of interest of authorities. Because of his IQ and intelligence and problem-solving ability, he was being watched,” the filmmaker said in Brooklyn federal court. “And that the conspiracy reached the highest levels.”
Vicente, who left the alleged cult in 2017, said surveillance cameras started cropping up in Clifton Park and Halfmoon, where most of the Nxivm’s adherents were based.
“My understanding is the surveillance was on us,” he said, “meaning the community.”
Jurors also heard testimony about Raniere’s scientific studies, including his fascination with psychopaths and people he called “Luciferians.”
Prosecutors tried to introduce evidence pertaining to Dr. Brandon Porter, who ran Raniere’s infamous “fright studies,” but were blocked by defense attorneys.
Jurors also saw a photo of Raniere’s favorite haunt — a home at 8 Hale Drive in Halfmoon where he kept his “executive library.”
The den included a bed elevated over a hot tub where he slept with his “slaves,” as well as a sauna.
The library is where feds allegedly turned up a stash of child pornography, prosecutors have said.