This failure, combined with his on the record statement that he was done, will seriously hamper any appeal. At times she approached tears and spoke sometimes in a shaky voice. And thats really what this was. I remember concern that she was voicing upset she had, so I dont think it was completely out of the blue. I'm sure you sound this way too. Thank you!!! AGNIFILO: I dont know why Your Honor cut off my cross-examination. I was trying to prove my self-worth, and salvage this string of a hope of what I thought my relationship might someday be, and I put it above everything else; I put it above my friends and I put it above other people, helping them in their best interest. I didnt understand the question. But what I had here was, I had a crisis here. A Well, yes. THE COURT: So you can sit down. Who cares whether she had convinced herself at the time that it was not illegal or illegal but allowed or whatever. And you let Raniere and the others do what they did, even after I repeatedly begged you for help., The judge said that while Salzman had helped Raniere commit his harmful schemes and other sadistic and sexual deviant visions, she was also a victim of [his] depravity.. Parlato is a consulting producer and appears in TNT's The Heiress and the Sex Cult, which premieres on May 22, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Parlato,_Jr. I stayed with Keith despite all the other [sexual] relationships, and that was something that he could have been honest with me about, and mischaracterizing and making me feel sorry for him because his life is so hard because we lost our friends and I cant get my shit together is not what was going on. This was ironic, as many credit Parlato as one of the primary architects of his arrest and the cratering of the cult he founded. But what was more troubling is not that they had a relationship it was Keiths consistent misrepresentations of things he made promises to me that I gave up real other opportunities of things that I wanted and he knew that I wanted, and he didnt fulfill those promises Keith said, in the curriculum, that ultimately we want to make our words so strong, like so strong that when we tell people we will do something, it will be done. This story has been shared 177,460 times. that Lauren Salzman was held down as another Raniere devotee used a cauterizing pen to etch the initials of Raniere into an area near her pelvis, according to her testimony . Steve's work features mainly in the chapter MK-ULTRA in Australia. Agnifilos approach of what did you think at the time was a loser from the git-go. THE COURT: That requires a legal conclusion. Master, please brand me, it would be an honor, an honor I want to wear for the rest of my life," Lauren Salzman testifed she told Keith Raniere at a branding ceremony. Wow where to start with all these?! During that period, Salzman acted as Danis only liaison with the outside world, delivering apologetic letters that she wrote to Raniere few of which, Salzman testified, he actually read. THE COURT: Asked and answered. get it? And her testimony was transcribed verbatim. She pleaded guilty to only racketeering conspiracy, and was the. But prosecutors asked Garaufis to go easy on her, citing her extraordinary cooperation and testimony at Ranieres 2019 trial. Lauren Salzman reported to Raniere regarding Daniela's "progress," but Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. and our Q But you know that now because the Government gave you the recordings to listen to of the meetings that you werent in? . . Lauren Salzman told a Brooklyn jury that as members of a secret master-slave society within an upstate New York group called Nxivm, women were so brainwashed they would jump at all hours. A Because I think Keith had a whole bunch of people [DOS first line women] to meet his objectives and serving him in a way that Pam facilitated before. Salzman and other DOS masters, including Garza, Smallville actress Allison Mack, and Battlestar Galactica actress Nicki Clyne, had flown to Mexico to visit Raniere. What Mr. Agnifilo needed to do to preserve his record for appeal was to say, Judge, if I were permitted to continue, I would have asked the witness X, Y, and Z. He did not do so either when he was cut off, or later that same day outside the presence of the jury. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time But most of my first-line DOS masters were telling me things that were gravely concerning to me that they were doing. Despite the negative media attention swarming around the group, the understanding among DOS members was that they would participate in a recommitment ceremony, pledging their allegiance to Raniere which, as Salzman later testified, was assumed to mean group sex. She seemed still a bit in love with Raniere, even if it had intellectually sunk in that he was a monster. He would have had a child with you. Q Part of whats happened is that, through the discovery process, you have learned more about Keiths relationships with other women; fair to say? Lauren Salzman was once a high-ranking leader of the purported self-help group Nxivm and a loyal member of founder Keith Raniere's inner circle. I am worried about her composure in this case, the judge explained to an apparently perplexed Mark []. Despite the negative media attention swarming around the group, the understanding among DOS members was that they would participate in a recommitment ceremony, pledging their allegiance to Raniere which, as Salzman later testified, was assumed to mean group sex. Nonetheless, she continued to follow Ranieres orders to not allow Dani to have access to her papers, on the grounds that she wanted him to think she was willing to do what it took to be a responsible parent., planned to build a dungeon in the basement of the sorority house. I thought that really went pretty far beyond the pale, frankly. THE COURT: If you want to know, you went way over the line as far as Im concerned with regard to this witness. What am I doing wrong? Of all the regrettable things I have done with Keith and Nxivm, this by far is the one that gives me the greatest personal sadness, she wrote to the judge. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. TRANSCRIPT of Proceedings as to Keith Raniere, Allison Mack, Clare Bronfman, Kathy Russell, Lauren Salzman, Nancy Salzman held on October 3, 2018, before Judge Scanlon. I harmed Daniela I completely failed her., The hearing included victim-impact statements from two former Nxivm members, including Ivy Nevares, who said Salzman never apologized for using her position and skills to try to force me to accept my exploitation and to do so with a smile., You called yourself my best friend, you were a fellow woman, yet you did what you did, she said. Lauren Salzman,. Longtime Nxivm accountant Kathy Russell, who has copped to charges of visa fraud, still awaits sentencing. CA. A I felt insecure about it, but that wasnt what was troubling to me. I am worried about her composure in this case. Lauren Salzman is a name that you'll hear prominently in the unraveling of the self-help group NXIVM. She said thats not what made it hard. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. And we saw that coming, I dont think [Kristin leaving] was suddenly. Court Reporter/Transcriber TypeWrite Word Processing Service, Telephone number 518-581-8973. The organization is commonly called a "cult," and has been termed a "racketeering enterprise" by the U.S. government. But the jurist was convinced Salzman was a changed woman, saying her new gig caring for animals is about as different as participating in Nxivm than anything I can imagine., This defendant has an inner sense of empathy and duty, Garaufis added Wednesday, as he highlighted Salzmans extensive and sincere cooperation with the government.. Bronfman has asked a federal appellate court to vacate her old sentence and order she be resentenced. Q One of the ways you know that Keith was lying to you is because you listened to these recordings; right? A I just listened to these recordings the day before yesterday for the first time. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Appeals court upholds sentences for NXIVM sex cult leaders, Nxivm sex cult leader Keith Raniere claims prison transfer puts his life at risk, Nxivm leader Keith Raniere claims feds conspiring against him with hermaphrodite cellmate, Nxivm leader complains fellow sex trafficker left him dizzy after prison beatdown, keeping a woman named Daniela captive in a room, was slapped with six years and nine months behind bars. THE COURT: Look, I am not saying you are not a man you are not a lawyer who maintains his composure. Lauren is growing more upset. Im done. He was my master, Salzman said during the start of her testimony last week, adding that she respected him, and trusted him and I wanted to be like him. She called him Doomp, and he called her Lorn/Forlorn, cause I was sad and suffering, she said. Move on. You lost everything Lauren. AGNIFILO: I dont think she did. Salzman is the third of Ranieres five co-defendants to be sentenced in the case. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. A I dont recall. I set up an account on PACER and gave them my credit card info (yikes). And if I made a mistake, then you will have your opportunity if you should not be successful in gaining your clients acquittal, and Im just going to leave it at that. You could have. TRANSCRIPT of Proceedings as to Keith Raniere, Allison Mack, Clare Bronfman, Kathy Russell, Lauren Salzman, Nancy Salzman held on September 18, 2018, before Judge Scanlon. I suspect flipping Allison Mack was crucial to making the trial a waste of everyones time. I may not get everything right up here, but I will tell you, as a human being, it was the right decision. He is manically writing messages to Agnifilo on yellow Post-It Notes and having Teny Geragos deliver them to the podium where Agnifilo is standing while he questions Lauren. Raniere wanted this testimony forever suppressed and sealed so that no one would ever know what he and Salzman had admitted or lied about under oath. The branding ceremony took place in 2017 inside a house near Albany, where female members of the so-called cult Nxivm . Its better than any book. Lauren Salzman, who detailed the group's inner workings during four days of testimony at Keith Raniere's trial, was sentenced to probation. Lauren Salzman, 42, is a cooperating witness in the sex trafficking and racketeering trial of NXIVM's founder, Keith Raniere, who has pleaded not guilty on all counts. I am not talking about that. I am the one who is disappointed. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. President (To Win Colorado) (D) Joe Biden* (R) Donald Trump. And I didnt have a problem. But it was too late- the defense had rested. A The conversations sound different to me now than they did before and so I dont hear them the same way and thats difficult. Q You have learned more about Keiths relationship with Cami, for instance? So I need the cross for Lauren Salzman. When she finally left in February 2012, she was driven to the Mexican border by her father and another NXIVM member, who refused to give her immigration papers; in a series of emails read during the trial, when she begged for her papers back, NXIVM officials refused, accusing her of being manipulative and playing games., Of all the things I did in this case and all the crimes that were committed, this was the worst thing I did, she said, sobbing. And Judge Nicholas Garaufis interfered with the cross-examination. Why wouldnt there be all of the transcripts that we could at least buy? Privacy Policy. I am happy as a bug in a rug reading all of this! She was applying the principles that were taught to her in NXIVM. All right? A federal judge sentenced Lauren Salzman, a high-ranking leader of an upstate New York sex cult, to five years of probation on Wednesday, following her "extraordinary" assistance to prosecutors. Lauren woke up! Nxivm 'slave master' Lauren Salzman gets time served for role in cult How a mother and daughter rose up in Nxivm, got indicted and eventually turned against Keith Raniere Catherine Oxenberg feared daughter India had suicide pact with NXIVM sex cult Survivor of sex cult explains how she avoided being brainwashed by NXIVM Raniere has pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking and other charges. Q And one thats one of the things that you went through; right? Numskull. Terrified, she called out Ranieres name, only for him to emerge from a walk-in closet next to the bedroom. . Q And from time to time, Kristin would write e-mails as though it was Hector [Dani and Camis father]; correct, she did that from time to time? Q Did you intend to commit a racketeering violation at the time that you did it? She should be very proud of herself that she took the stand, answered questions bravely and articulately. A No. Around that same time, one former DOS slave and a longtime friend of Salzmans, Sarah Edmondson, left the group after discovering that the DOS brand was not some badass empowerment symbol, but actually Ranieres initials. At one point, Raniere asked Danis mother, Adriana, to stay confined to a room adjacent to Danis, as a way to make it clear to Daniela that her actions were affecting other people close to her, Salzman testified. "He told me Dani was brilliant," Salzman tells producers, explaining how the then-16-year-old's parents trusted Raniere as a "guru" and signed her up for a so-called intensive in the States. Raniere was furious, saying he questioned whether he wanted to have a child with someone who could be so disrespectful to him. Its possible that the judge made a mistake that another judge will find to be so egregious that Keith was denied his right to cross-examine witnesses against him. I know some of Keefe and Durans criminal activity came up during the trial already, but it would be nice to have it summarized. Unfortunately for Raniere, however, the ceremony never happened, as authorities arrived at Ranieres home on March 25 to arrest him on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Q Did you intend to commit extortion at the time that you did it? Raniere is serving a term of life in prison after being convicted at trial of child sex trafficking and conspiracy. The Government showed that there were 25 people admitted into Keiths inner circle over the years, but it looks like some of them Jack Levy, Monica Duran, Kristin Keefe have had few, if any articles devoted to them on here. During her testimony at Raniere's trial, she. A woman who testified about confining an undocumented migrant in a New York bedroom for nearly two years was sentenced to five years' probation with no prison time on Wednesday. She had been on the floor and he had kicked her, Salzman recounted Padilla telling her. Trial testimony showed surveillance cameras were set up outside the room and the woman wrote letters almost daily asking for forgiveness. A Yes. Formerly one of NXIVMs most loyal capos, an exhausted-looking Salzman recounted decades of her emotional manipulation at the hands of Raniere, a self-described genius who once held such sway over his followers that they believed he was able to control the weather. I lied to the entire community about it, she testified. It did not seem like the line of questioning was interrupted at all. I did not do that in my group [get Keith sex slaves]. Q You said [in the direct examination] when Keith was arrested in Mexico, Mexican police came in and they had machine guns? I lied to everybody. I am responsible for Lauren being before you.. His work to expose and take down NXIVM is featured in books like Captive by Catherine Oxenberg, Scarred by Sarah Edmonson, The Program by Toni Natalie, and NXIVM. A former follower of self-help guru Keith Raniere says he was a taskmaster who expected her to be as obedient as a "hungry dog." Lauren Salzman testified Monday that she and other women, including TV actress Allison Mack, were under orders to send Raniere nude photos of themselves and paddle each other if they . At one point, Raniere asked Danis mother, Adriana, to stay confined to a room adjacent to Danis, as a way to make it clear to Daniela that her actions were affecting other people close to her, Salzman testified. Next question. In response to the bad press surrounding NXIVM, Raniere went into damage control mode. Nancy Salzman Salzman, the co-founder of NXIVM with Raniere, was the first of high-ranking officials to plead guilty. Salzman said in testimony, "It was the most painful thing I've ever experienced." Nicole testified that Mack told her, "pain is love, and you show your love to your master by pain." . Q Kristin Keeffe, you said, was in the legal sort of part NXIVM, she was in the legal department? For more information, please see our She was told. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. You lost everything Lauren. Among the more sensational allegations: Some women "slaves" in a secret NXIVM sorority were branded with Raniere's initials as part of their initiation. Everyone rises for the jury. On Monday, Salzman provided more sensational details about the alleged inner workings of the group. She rose up and is actually practicing what she preached. Pea!! its official. A I think it was progressive. As Salzman ascended through NXIVMs ranks, Raniere encouraged her to have sex with other women he was involved with, but forbade her to sleep with other men. And you betrayed us. Pea, just imagine babies that looked like this: I haven't purchased any additional transcripts from PACER. Lauren stepped down. In response, Salzman sent him a seven-page letter recounting all the ways she was behaving inappropriately. She said she could not sit with the defense and continue to lie. She talked to the police through the bedroom door, asking if they had a warrant. That happened at least once that I know of. Padilla had also planned to purchase a cage, though she canceled the order shortly after the inner workings of DOS were made public in the spring of 2017. But Im telling you, I was watching this witness. We were supposed to be uniform: All looking the same, and fully frontally naked, Salzman testified. A I did not do that. HOWEVER, it costs: you need to get a PACER account and pay the per page or document cost for each document you download (transcript or otherwise). pmc_jwplayer('jwplayer_c132tQIF_yTTJs9q5_div','yTTJs9q5').setup( On Wednesday, Salzman apologized for keeping a woman named Daniela captive in a room from 2010 to 2012 at Ranieres request and threatening to deport her to Mexico. At one point, she said, she wanted to have a relationship with another man, and approached Raniere to ask for permission. Salzman flew into a panic. {"vloc":"auto","floating":true,"playlist":"https:\/\/content.jwplatform.com\/feeds\/c132tQIF.json","ph":2} Q Yeah, were you surprised that Keith was having these kinds of interactions with these women, most of whom he was sleeping with? "I believed Keith Raniere's intentions were to help people, and I was wrong," Mack told a judge while pleading guilty to racketeering charges. She was more and more upset. Such penance including paddlings with a leather strap, which Raniere would occasionally supervise remotely via conference call. I thought it was extremely excruciating. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. For years, Raniere continued to hold the prospect of having a child with Salzman over her head, at one point giving her a timeline of between a year and five years. He revoked the option, however, after Salzman committed an ethical breach, jumping on a another man while celebrating a victory after a volleyball game. Keith Raniere is today a convicted felon serving a 120-year sentence. A Yes, but it was at a time when Keith and I werent interacting very much [during] the two years that Pam was sick and dying. (AP Photo/Mary. You could have gone on to something else. In it, she apologized for having disrespected him and for damaging her own reputation as a group leader, as well as that of their theoretical child, someone who doesnt even exist yet. But Raniere was unmoved, dealing her a final blow, Salzman testified, when he revealed that he would be fathering a child with another longtime girlfriend. Salzman, who was in NXIVM's Executive Success Programs (ESP) for nearly two decades, testified that she had been with Raniere in a $10,000-a-week resort when authorities in Mexico arrested the. So, sure. Agnifilo clearly says he was done. When police finally kicked down the door, Salzman said, they pushed her to the ground and pointed guns at her. Q Let me just ask you the question. Salzmans crying and sobbing is because she was realizing how bad she f*cked up and will now pay for it while being questioned, although the judge may instead invite her to lunch. And then he characterized the reasons for why he didnt uphold his word to me as being because it was so difficult that two of our best friends died of terminal illnesses [Pam Cafritz and Barbara Jeske] and the void that that left in our community, and how much extra work fell on him and how hard its been because of all of our failures and ineptitudes and the political situation. May 7, 2019: first day of the trial; includes opening statements (Tanya Hajjar for the prosecution, Marc Agnifilo for the defense) and the beginning of the first witness testimony, by Sylvie [last name redacted by order of the court], a DOS "slave" under Monica Duran, May 8, 2019: continuation of Sylvie's testimony; start of Mark Vicente's testimony, May 9, 2019: Mark Vicente testimony, continued, May 13, 2019: Mark Vicente testimony, continued, May 14, 2019: no witnesses, just proceedings, May 15, 2019: Mark Vicente testimony, continued, May 16, 2019: Mark Vicente, Stephen Herbits, Charles Fontanelli, May 17, 2019: Charles Fontanelli, Sean Welch, Lauren Salzman, May 28, 2019: Daniela [last name redacted], May 29, 2019: Daniela [last name redacted], continued, June 5, 2019: James Loperfido, Maegan Rees, June 6, 2019: Maegan Rees continued, Dawn Hughes, Nicole [last name redacted], June 7, 2019: Nicole [last name redacted], continued. not really, your Vandaddy isnt going to see the outside of a prison cell unless hes on the way to or returning from a courtroom. Seagrams liquor heiress Clare Bronfman was slapped with six years and nine months behind bars last year, more than prosecutors had asked for, after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conceal and harbor an illegal alien for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification. And she was becoming disillusioned because she was watching him lie and telling her to lie and it was totally not ethical. Q . And whether shes telling the truth, whether the jury believes her, I think its absolutely necessary that there be a certain level of consideration for someones condition. Actually it sounds like Lauren was really being ethical and was waking up to what that really means. Included in that group of eight was TVs Smallville actress Allison Mack and her now-wife, Nicki Clyne, according to Salzmans testimony. She avoided jail time and was sentenced to time served, five years. Thanks. As a sex cult "grandmaster," Keith Raniere oversaw dungeon paddlings, brandings and naked meetings but his most brutal form of punishment was emotional manipulation, said former slave Lauren Salzman. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] It is the defense councils job to cross-examine her about this unpleasant experience. The testimony of Lauren Salzman, 42, marked the first time that one of Raniere's co-defendants and a member of his clannish "inner circle" has taken the stand at his criminal trial. I think Pam facilitated a number of Keiths personal and romantic relationships and kept them alive throughout the years. All the links come from the docket, available at Court Listener: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6374665/united-states-v-raniere. Per federal transcripts, Mack told prosecutors . Are the transcripts of the trial released anywhere? Do you think you can do some articles about how they got involved, why they were allowed into Keiths inner circle, and what crimes they committed or may have committed. And then sometimes Hector would send his own e-mails ? Salzman, along with former TV actress Allison Mack and others, was part of 60-year-old Ranieres circle of first-line masters who helped to command the group. She has been on the stand for hours. Article continues below advertisement A She would draft the e-mail and suggest that the family use it and then Hector would use Kristins drafted e-mail, yes. Lauren and the others will have had even more time to get perspective on what actually happened and why. Reading the direct transcripts is blowing my mind. This story has been shared 114,023 times. at 1619-20 (testimony of Lauren Salzman that Raniere preferred DOS recruits to be individuals "in positions of power and influence"). Q And you didnt want to have to go through this criminal trial with him; is that fair to say? Editors note: You be the judge. Of all the things I did in this case and all the crimes that were committed, this was the worst thing I did, she said, sobbing. THE COURT: Anything else from the defense? A former high-ranking member of the alleged cult NXIVM testified against its alleged leader in court on Monday, accusing him of whipping, beating and playing other kinds of sex games with his top female members. I agree. He was sentenced on October 27, 2020. actress Nicki Clyne, had flown to Mexico to visit Raniere. Judge, can we have a sidebar? THE COURT: Is there anything else from the Government for tonight? AGNIFILO: Your Honor, most respectfully and I am not going to belabor the point I think it is an important she talked about the change in perspective, she did, and Im trying to explore that change. A I knew they had a relationship. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. I showed reprehensible judgment, Salzman said. Raniere, 58, is accused of founding and running NXIVM, which framed itself as a self-help group but which prosecutors say was really a cult-like organization that coerced female members into sexual fealty to Raniere. If I didnt think it was problematic, I wouldnt have raised it. Tell us what you think will happen next? Along with Raniere, Bronfman, Mack, and Salzman's daughter Lauren, the co-founder was arrested for an array of crimes in 2018. She has described, both in her court testimony and in the HBO documentary The Vow, the emotional. Salzman spent four days on the witness stand during Raniere's 2019 trial, testifying about the group's inner workings, Raniere's involvement, and her own failed attempts to leave the group. Bummer Let me know if you find them at some point- and thanks! Q Im going to ask you the question again. At one point, as former NXIVM member Lauren Salzman testified earlier in the trial, she passed a note to Salzman and Raniere, which read, "Let me out, I've come undone." Raniere is currently. My main priority was that Keith was OK., Editors picks Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. She testifiedthe DOS would take naked photos before every meeting. Q You didnt know that Keith and Cami had a relationship? Q Now, you just said when you found out that you did things that were criminal, did you intend to do things that were criminal as you did them? Edmonsons husband publicly confronted Salzman about DOS at a NXIVM event, prompting the rest of the organization to learn about the existence of DOS.