Her psychiatrist, Carlos Rueda, says in the last three years he has treated two others who have taken the class; one had a psychotic episode.
Confidentiality is sacrosanct. [88] Live-in girlfriends Barbara Jeske and Pam Cafritz both died from what was diagnosed as cancer at the time, but is alleged to have actually been subtle poisoning.
Born in Brooklyn, Keith arrived in New York at the age of 5 and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
[10][20] In August 2002, Gina resumed contact with Raniere and began participating in NXIVM/ESP, according to her surviving sister, Heidi. Sara has since been promoted to the rank of coach; she now works full time for Executive Success.
Once a day the attendees recite a 12-point mission statement written by Raniere.
He and his then-girlfriend, Toni Natalie, set up a health food shop in Clifton Park, N.Y. One day in 1997 Raniere met the woman who would become his business partner, Nancy Salzman. Raniere claim of super-intelligence based on little known and controversial ‘take-home’ IQ test January 29, 2016 As I mentioned in my last post, one of the most basic claims of NXIVM is that its founder, Keith Raniere, is one of the smartest people in the world. They say his teachings as an inspirational executive coach can empower some of the most successful people in the world to attain ever higher levels of status and money. The trial, filled with salacious allegations of forced sex, confinement, and even the cattle-like branding of Raniere’s acolytes, is expected to last five to six weeks. When a Forbes reporter asked to audit a session, the group's lawyer presented a three-page confidentiality agreement forbidding the magazine to write about virtually anything seen or heard at the event. People are encouraged to reveal a negative habit, describe how it benefits survival and pledge to replace it with a new one.
Since so few people had taken the Mega test, there was really no way of proving how tough it was and how rare was Keith’s score. One had to accept them at their word.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'frankreport_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',107,'0','0'])); When Keith joined the Mega Society in the late 1980s, he assumed a large role, if not control of the Mega Society. "He was like a mythological figure—the guy with the 240 IQ was coming to town," says Robert Bremner, a former distributor for the outfit. Keith Raniere Turns 60 – and Vanguard Turns 22, Raniere’s Bleak & Comedic History in Prison: Stay Tuned for News on Massive Cover-up Regarding What’s Going on at MDC, NXIVM Cult Leader Arrested: Parallels with Scientology? Raniere's federal trial began on May 7, 2019. If they violate it, they are "compromising inner honesty and integrity." He drew a diagram that plotted her life and said she was in danger of careening down a "pride barrier" to a "dream death line.". One daughter, Clare, 24, has lent the program $2 million, at 2.5% interest, the senior Bronfman says (she denies this). It is also not timed. [29], Kristin Keeffe was a longtime partner of Raniere and mother of his son Gaelyn. © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. [12][13], Eager to distance themselves from “cult” allegations in the press, NXIVM members sought the endorsement of the Dalai Lama, spending $2 million on the project. BB: No you don’t, because the only company before this was Consumers Buyline and that in my understanding fell apart within a few years... or was on the downhill after a couple years when you got sued or whatever it was. But some people see a darker and more manipulative side to Keith Raniere. She went to a hospital and required psychiatric treatment. '"[20], Raniere and Salzman founded Executive Success Programs, a personal development company[10] offering a range of techniques aimed at self-improvement. He uses it to show that a high IQ means someone is good at solving problems found on IQ tests. Not only that, it was a take home IQ test, which means no one monitored for the possibility of his cheating. "I can't think. "The one-in-a-million I.Q.
She was living in Belgium and heard about the class from a family friend. His name appeared, once, for one year, in the 1989 Australian edition of the Guinness Book of Records. During the early days of Raniere’s trial, his defense seems to be that what happened within Nxivm was largely the behavior of consenting adults who wanted to improve their lives with the help of a coach. Sara Bronfman, Edgar Sr.'s 26-year-old daughter, says she started taking classes at the end of 2002 after her marriage fell apart. Raniere says he found inspiration in Rand’s books. If you have a tip for Frank Report, send it here. I remember thinking, 'Wow, my brain is really susceptible to the power of suggestion. He will, hopefully, suffer at the hands of people who are as sick and deprived as him.
In January a federal judge ruled in favor of an ex-girlfriend who was in a bitter legal fight with Raniere, citing “a jilted fellow’s attempt at revenge” and finding that Raniere had harassed her, disrupted her business and manipulated her into giving up her 10-year-old son to the boy’s father. His work helping take down NXIVM is featured in books like “Captive” by Catherine Oxenberg; “Scarred” by Sarah Edmonson; “The Program” by Toni Natalie, and “NXIVM. [8], A number of Raniere's alleged lovers suffered untimely deaths. An agent of the FBI filed a criminal complaint against Raniere with the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York on February 14, 2018.
In January a U.S. judge said he found it "disturbing" to hear testimony that Raniere had had police sent to Natalie's mother's house and had made repeated threats to her and her family. He became her spiritual guide, and she became his most ardent follower. "[41][29], In 2002, Raniere and Salzman succeeded in recruiting members of the influential Bronfman family, heirs to the multi-billion-dollar Seagram's fortune. Why, his program can even cure ailments like diabetes and scoliosis. In November 2010, Vanity Fair published an article titled "The Heiresses and the Cult", in which Raniere's former partner Toni Natalie recalled that Raniere "had insisted she keep the body of her dead puppy in her garage freezer and look at it daily.
"[12] According to Vanity Fair, the Forbes article was a turning point in Raniere's relationship with Edgar Bronfman: "'That,' says one woman, 'was when Edgar Bronfman became NXIVM’s enemy. [30] In 1996, Raniere signed a consent order permanently barring him from "promoting, offering or granting participation in a chain distribution scheme" and ordering him to pay a $40,000 fine. The woman, Toni F. Natalie, tells Forbes that she believes Raniere brainwashed her, telling her she was put on Earth to carry his baby—the baby who would alter the course of history. On October 11, 2002, Gina Hutchinson was found dead of a gunshot wound to her head on the grounds of the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, NY.
Executive Success resembles motivational groups such as the Landmark Forum, the Sterling Institute of Relationship and Lifespring. The following year, the case was dismissed with prejudice. In a core piece of the program, known as "exploration of meaning," teachers plumb students' beliefs and backgrounds, looking for emotional buttons. Gina dropped out of school and continued her relationship with Raniere, working at his company Consumers' Buyline for a time. [58][59], On May 6, 2009, the Dalai Lama traveled to Albany to give a talk; during the event, he presented Raniere with a white scarf onstage. [13][10] Heidi Hutchinson recalled that during the late '80s, Raniere was fascinated by Amway, Scientology, and neuro-linguistic programming. He must be on suicide watch. On June 19, 2019, the jury found Raniere guilty on all charges after five hours of deliberation. [13][better source needed], Raniere attended a public junior high school and attended Suffern High School for ninth grade before transferring to Rockland Country Day School in Congers, NY; he graduated in June 1978, two months prior to his eighteenth birthday.
Students then go through sessions on "Money," "Face of the Universe," "Control, Freedom & Surrender" and more. Raniere claims he spoke in full sentences when he was a 1-year-old, taught himself high school math in 19 hours when he was 12 and, by 13, had learned three years of college math and several computer languages. As originally designed, the building was to emerge from a stone foundation under a six-sided, glass roof. He claims not to own a bed. If convicted, Raniere could face life in prison. ", "2010 Forbes 400 Net Worth #136 Edgar Bronfman Sr", "The Journey of the 'Sex Cult' Heiress: From Reluctant Recruit to Criminal Defendant", "Was Kristin Snyder murdered?
To avoid going to trial alongside Raniere, Clare Bronfman and four other women accepted plea deals for their roles within Nxivm, which prosecutors allege was a criminal organization that coerced women, including underage girls, into sex with Raniere. It was the first thing that I had earned on just my merits.
You're important. Sara Bronfman, Edgar Sr.'s 26-year-old daughter, says she started taking classes at the end of 2002 after her marriage fell apart. (His business partner, Nancy Salzman, 49, a former nurse and therapist and the public face of Executive Success, calls herself “Prefect.”) Raniere’s long, brown hair and beard make him look a little like Jesus, and his thoughtful demeanor could let him pass for a philosophy professor—or maybe a slacker poet. The family hired Rick A. Ross, a Jersey City, N.J. specialist in cults, to intervene, to no avail. I can't pay my bills," she says. Days begin at 8 a.m. with the "ESP handclap," akin to using a gavel to open a court hearing. "[88], In 2019, Investigation Discovery aired a documentary titled "The Lost Women of NXIVM", speculating that Raniere committed homicide. [29], CBI shut down in 1993 after being investigated by twenty states; that year, New York filed a lawsuit alleging the organization was a pyramid scheme. It inspired Raniere later to try to do the same. Keith Allen Raniere (born August 26, 1960)[1] is an American felon and the founder of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company and cult based near Albany, New York.