Keith Raniere

Keith Raniere: biography

Keith Raniere is a former self-help guru and the founder of NXIVM (pronounced "Nexium"), a controversial organization that presented itself as a personal development program.

Childhood and youth

Keith Raniere was born on August 26, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were James Raniere, an advertising executive, and Vera Oschypko, a ballroom-dancing instructor. When he was five, his family moved to Suffern, New York, and his parents separated when he was around eight.

Raniere attended Suffern High School briefly before transferring to Rockland Country Day School, where he graduated in June 1978. He claimed to have been influenced by Isaac Asimov's book, "Second Foundation," which sparked his interest in mind control and later influenced his work in NXIVM.

According to Barbara Bouchey, Raniere's former partner, his father mentioned how gifted and intelligent he was, which seemingly triggered a dramatic change in Raniere's attitude, leading him to believe he was superior to others. Bouchey also stated that Raniere's mother reported him interacting with multiple young girls, using similar lines of affection and claiming they were all special to him. It is known that Raniere displayed exceptional intelligence from an early age. Reportedly, he achieved a high IQ score, allegedly exceeding 240. This intellectual aptitude would later become one of his selling points when attracting followers to NXIVM.

Raniere graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1982 with a low GPA, and he worked as a computer programmer for the New York State Division of Parole. In 1988, he gained attention for his membership in the Mega Society, based on a high score he achieved on a test created by Ronald K. Hoeflin. During his time at the institute, he began to explore his interest in personal development and human potential.

After college, Raniere delved into the self-help industry, eventually establishing his own organization, NXIVM, in the late 1990s. Initially, NXIVM presented itself as a personal and professional development program, focusing on teaching strategies for personal success.

Raniere's charisma and purported intelligence attracted individuals from various backgrounds to join NXIVM. Over time, he expanded the organization's activities and recruited prominent figures, including actors and wealthy entrepreneurs.

However, the darker aspects of Raniere's leadership and the alleged abuses within NXIVM would later come to light, leading to his arrest and conviction on multiple charges related to sex trafficking, racketeering, and other crimes.

Career

Raniere had involvement with Amway in the 1980s and later founded his own multi-level marketing company called Consumers' Buyline Inc. (CBI) in 1990. CBI operated as a buying club that offered discounts in exchange for recruitment.

During a CBI meeting, Raniere met Toni Natalie, who became a top seller for the organization along with her then-husband. Natalie and her son moved to be closer to Raniere, and they began dating, sustaining an eight-year relationship.

However, in 1993, CBI faced a decline, and regulators from twenty states launched investigations into the company. New York filed a lawsuit, alleging CBI was a pyramid scheme. In 1994, Raniere established National Health Network, a multi-level seller of vitamins, but it also failed after three years.

In 1996, Raniere reached a consent order with New York to resolve the case against Consumers' Buyline. He agreed to pay a $40,000 fine, although he only paid $9,000, claiming he was unable to pay the remainder despite his reported multimillion-dollar net worth.

These events shed light on Raniere's involvement in multi-level marketing ventures, the legal challenges faced by his companies, and his financial disputes with authorities.

NXIVM and DOS

Raniere and Salzman founded Executive Success Programs, a personal-development company that later became NXIVM. Raniere adopted the title "Vanguard" and drew influence from Ayn Rand's teachings. In 2002, they successfully recruited members of the wealthy Bronfman family, including Sara Bronfman, Clare Bronfman, and their father, Edgar Bronfman Sr., who took a course in the following year.

Within NXIVM, Raniere established a hierarchical structure that allowed him to exert control over the organization and its members. He created an inner circle known as DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium), which operated as a secret society within NXIVM. Members of DOS, primarily women, were allegedly subjected to physical and psychological abuse, including branding and coerced sexual acts.

Raniere employed various manipulative techniques to maintain his hold over followers. These tactics included isolation from friends and family, gaslighting, mind control, and the exploitation of personal insecurities. He positioned himself as a mentor and guru, convincing followers that his teachings were the key to personal and professional success.

In an attempt to counter "cult" allegations, NXIVM members spent $2 million to seek the endorsement of the Dalai Lama. On May 6, 2009, during an event in Albany, the Dalai Lama presented Raniere with a white scarf onstage. He also wrote the foreword for Raniere's book, "The Sphinx and Thelxiepeia," published in 2009. It was later revealed that in 2009, Sara Bronfman, a member of NXIVM, had a sexual relationship with Lama Tenzin Dhonden, the Dalai Lama's gatekeeper who arranged the appearance. Dhonden, a monk who had taken a vow of celibacy, was subsequently replaced amid accusations of corruption.

In 2009, a group called the "NXIVM Nine" separated from Raniere's organization, citing concerns about unethical practices and alleged sexual manipulation of women by Raniere. Barbara Bouchey, Raniere's partner for nine years, was among the dissenters. Vanity Fair published an article in November 2010, titled "The Heiresses and the Cult," where Raniere's former partner Toni Natalie mentioned an incident where Raniere insisted she keep her dead puppy's body in the freezer and look at it daily. In a 2010 Times Union article, former NXIVM coaches described students as "prey" for Raniere, satisfying his gambling or sexual desires.

Personal life

Kristin Keeffe was a significant figure in Keith Raniere's life, serving as his longtime partner and the mother of his first child. In 2010, it was revealed that Raniere had ordered the child to be kept away from peers and entrusted the child's care to nannies who spoke five different languages. However, in February 2014, Keeffe ended her relationship with Raniere and departed from his group.

Raniere was reportedly in a relationship with Nancy Salzman, one of the co-founders of NXIVM. Their romantic involvement ended, but they continued to work closely together within the organization.

He also had a relationship with actress Allison Mack, who became a prominent member of NXIVM and was deeply involved in the creation and operation of the DOS subgroup. Mack pleaded guilty to charges related to her involvement in the criminal activities of NXIVM.

Raniere did not marry or have any publicized long-term romantic partnerships, focusing more on his leadership role within NXIVM.

Arrest and trials

Keith Raniere's arrest came as a result of a joint investigation by federal authorities and media scrutiny into the activities of NXIVM. On March 26, 2018, Raniere was apprehended in Mexico and extradited to the United States to face charges related to his leadership of the organization.

He was arrested on multiple charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering, forced labor conspiracy, and possession of child pornography. The charges stemmed from allegations of coercive practices, sexual exploitation, and manipulation within NXIVM, particularly within the secret society known as DOS.

Raniere's arrest generated significant media attention and public interest due to the high-profile nature of the case and the involvement of influential individuals associated with NXIVM. The subsequent legal proceedings exposed the extent of the abuses within the organization and Raniere's role in orchestrating them.

After a lengthy trial that included testimony from former members, Raniere was found guilty on all charges. In October 2020, he was sentenced to 120 years in prison by a federal judge in New York. The court characterized Raniere as a dangerous individual who had engaged in predatory behavior and exploited vulnerable individuals for personal gain.

Raniere's arrest and subsequent conviction marked a significant moment in the dismantling of NXIVM and the pursuit of justice for the victims of the organization's abuses. It also served as a cautionary tale regarding the potential dangers of charismatic leaders and manipulative organizations.

In May 2022, Keith Raniere filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons, claiming his civil rights were violated while being held at United States Penitentiary, Tucson. Raniere sought an injunction to allow visitation and phone calls from his follower, Suneel Chakravorty, whom he claimed was working as a paralegal on his appeals. The Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, and authorities at USP Tucson opposed the injunction, stating that Chakravorty was not a paralegal but a former coach associated with NXIVM, with whom Raniere was prohibited from associating. Judge Raner Collins granted the Department of Justice's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The dismissal was based on Raniere's failure to exhaust administrative remedies as required by the Prison Litigation Reform Act and insufficient service of process.