In this courtroom artist’s sketch, defendant Keith Raniere, center, sits with attorneys Paul DerOhannesian, left, and Marc Agnifilo during closing arguments at Brooklyn federal court, Tuesday, June 18, 2019 in New York. A federal prosecutor said Raniere used his NXIVM organization to “tap into a never-ending flow of women and money.” Attorneys for the defendant say he had no criminal intent and that his sexual encounters with followers were consensual. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — A jury has begun deliberating at the trial of the former leader of an upstate New York self-help group that prosecutors say branded women.
The deliberations in the case against Keith Raniere (rah-NEER’-ee) started Wednesday morning in federal court in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors have told jurors that said the 58-year-old Raniere’s organization, called NXIVM (NEHK’-see-uhm), operated like a cult.
They said he formed a secret subgroup comprised of brainwashed female “slaves” who were branded with his initials and forced to have sex with him.
There also were accusations that he began having sex with one follower when she was 15 and took pornographic photos of her.
Lawyers for Raniere say that he never had any criminal intent and that his encounters with the women were consensual.
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