NXIVM head Keith Raniere sentenced to 120 years in prison
Larry Neumeister and Tom HaysThe Associated Press
NEW YORK — Disgraced self-improvement guru Keith Raniere, whose NXIVM followers included millionaires and Hollywood actors, was sentenced to 120 years on Tuesday for turning some adherents into sex slaves branded with his initials.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis handed down the sentence in federal court in Brooklyn after a lengthy hearing featuring statements by victims of a sex-trafficking conspiracy that resulted in Raniere's conviction last year.
Prosecutors had sought life in prison while defense lawyers said he should face 15 years behind bars.
Raniere, 60, had shown no remorse, with his lawyers telling the judge before the sentencing that their client wasn't sorry "for his conduct or his choices."
The sentencing culminated several years of revelations about Raniere's program, NXIVM, which charged thousands of dollars for invitation-only self improvement courses at its headquarters near Albany, New York, along with branches in Mexico and Canada. Adherents included millionaires and Hollywood actresses willing to endure humiliation and pledge obedience to the defendant as part of his teachings.
Inside a Secretive Group Where Women Are Branded (Published 2017)
A self-help organization in Albany called Nxivm has begun to unravel as members reveal disturbing practices and fears of blackmail.
Nxivm leader's trial opens: Women who belonged to inner circle might testify
The members of the upstate New York group called Nxivm looked up to Keith Raniere as a leader who spread his ideas on how to achieve success and happiness but, prosecutors say, he was actually a conman who took advantage of vulnerable people.
