Keith Raniere, the former head of NXIVM, was sentenced to 120 years in prison yesterday.
One of the main people who brought him to justice was Mark Vicente. A former leader in the NXIVM movement, he and his wife, Bonnie Piesse, along with Sarah Edmunson and her husband Nippy Ames and Catherine Oxenberg were chronicled in the excellent HBO Series The Vow about their awakening and subsequent efforts to bring the leaders of NXIVM to justice.
We interviewed Mark on the Aftermath Podcast a few weeks ago.
Victims in criminal cases have the opportunity to make a statement before the court with respect to the sentencing of a defendant who has been found guilty of a crime. This is Mark’s statement.
MY STATEMENT AT KEITH RANIERE’S SENTENCING
OCTOBER 27TH, 2020
Your Honor,
Beyond Keith Raniere’s crimes as documented in your court, there are moral crimes this man has committed. Specifically against those that were under his care. The crimes were willful and intended to cause maximum damage.
There are the physical things Raniere has done to people. Coerced them to starve themselves, sleep depravation, cutting them off from their friends and family, closing doors on their life and career opportunities, shunning, terrorism by litigation, branding, triangulating his students against each other, maliciously squandering the child bearing years of dozens of women, convincing people he knew better than their doctors… resulting in them forgoing medical treatment they should have had. These are all terrible things. But it is the psychological and existential injuries which will continue for the rest of our lives… that I find the most heinous.
—————-
Keith Raniere,
You have done irreparable harm to peoples psyches. To their self-esteem, their belief in themselves and their experience of sanity and well being. Their qualia of existence.
I believed in you. I believed in your mission. Because I thought it was the same as mine. I believed you knew what goodness was. Finding out the truth about you and your actual motives turned my world upside down. You broke goodness. You cracked the firmament of my belief in nobility and honor and righteousness. I do know how to repair it. I do not know if it can ever be made whole again. I fight everyday to try and recapture something that now feels lost.
This was not by accident on your part. When I was writing the film Carbon Crimes, you wanted me to craft a female character of innocence and good will. Someone who worked for a leader she believed in with all her might. She then finds out he is in fact a very bad man with very bad intent, using everyones pursuit of goodness for his own ends. You described to me how it would break someone like that and how she would never be able to heal from it. She would never be able to find goodness again. It would be forever poisoned. You knew exactly what you were doing to me and many others. The loss and the pain is incalculable.
And the worst part… the truly sick part of this is that my trauma, the desolation of my psyche is your great joy.
As the founder of the Society of Protectors, you told us constantly to MAN UP. To strip ourselves of everything to find our true self. You told us on a daily basis how in the worst circumstances we could find joy. Remember how you quoted Albert Camus; “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” And yet here you are suffering about how miserable you have been in prison without your comforts.
Your ideology was all false bravado. A boastful lie.
You made us believe we were constantly failing a standard you are wholly incapable of meeting yourself. You just wanted to destabilize our psyches as much as possible so that in our growing psychosis you would be the savior, watching us get worse and worse. Like poisoning us and watching us die slowly. Our happiness wasting away. That is your true joy.
You could at least have the decency to admit what you wanted was so very primitive.
How cruel to convince women that sex with you would heal their sexual abuse trauma. How childish and devious to use principle and honor as a cover for a teenage fantasy of getting a group blowjob from a group of women. How shallow are you? Clearly your joy DOES come from the external world after all. You were just seeking infantile comfort. Turns out, contrary to your lawyers assertions, you DO need coercion to get sex.
You and your followers need to ask yourselves one important question. How did you Keith Alan Raniere cause this? Stop being a victim. Stop suffering. The world’s reaction to your omnipotence did not cause your present circumstances. Your evil did…
You will never know true love. You have to calculate everything.
Kindness, compassion, awe, morality, weeping at pure goodness.
While I will struggle for the rest of my life with what you have done to my mind and my soul… I can FEEL all those things you cannot. My morality is intrinsically mine. Your emptiness is yours. Forever and ever.
—————-
Your Honor,
I spent 12 years studying this man. He has a belief that he is the next evolution of human-kind. Beyond worldly ethics and morality. Far superior to this court. He thinks he breathes the rarified air of an awakened genius. But he is none of those things.
He is a malicious, petty, evil and dangerously vengeful sociopath who thrills at our pain, and yet barely a glimmer of that excitement is visible on his blank face and his dormant eyes. He has been a lascivious little toddler with too much power and ZERO accountability. He has stolen hundreds of years from all his victims and poisoned their existence… poisoned my existence… and he needs to be held accountable.
Thank You for your time.
Wow, that was hard to read! Add his statement to that of the others and a monster has been outed, and is now slated to die in a supermax prison.
Here’s hoping Davey is on a similar receiving end and that Scientology suffers a similar fate!
He was a small fish compared to DM, i think this case may be the key to finally get DM behind bars. How about finding the legal terminals that made it happen and “present their next case” for them?
David Miscavige, did you get a chance to absorb this news?
The walls are closing in, you little thug.
If we follow these details, Miscavige has to 1000 years and more in jail.
Why is this guy and his followers not in court and behind bars?
All their misdeeds is 10000X what nixvm did.
It seems, the US Justice system is not working for their citizens.
What incredibly articulate submissions to the court. !
Mike, thank you for posting this. What Mark said relates to my experience in Scientology. Not the physical abuse, the mental and financial abuse and fraud. I would position Scientology with NXIVM. as it gives someone who does not know about Scientology an instant picture of the dangers of the cult. Amazing how difficult it is to stamp out this scum.
Powerful, Mr. Vicente. Looks like it’s time for the “genius” to MAN UP.
Hopefully Dave joins him soon; then they can disseminate to each other.
It would be nice if they could share a cell. Lots of perceived bennies there!
I recently posted that it would be good for the DwarfenFuhrer to have his own DwarfenCell. But as long as he lives out his life in a penitentiary, I will be happy.
As for him having someone to share his cell, there is always the chance they both could make each other even more miserable that they could living separately. And maybe it could be arranged for them to sell 24 hour pay per view with all the proceeds going to the Aftermath Foundation. I would love to have the highlights edited and made available for review. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Maybe it would be even nicer to sell time to the public over a loud (very loud) loudspeaker so that people could pay for blocks of time they could tell these things what we think of them. I would love to have a few minutes to address the DwarfenFuhrer. Or maybe I would just put some song or some album in a playback loop so it plays over and over again.
Is there not much to consider here?
O/T. Based on data released by the FEC on October 22, 2020, Open Secrets reports that Scientologist billionaire Patricia (Trish) Duggan has made the following additional political contributions:
10/12/20: $232,200 to Security Is Strength, a single-candidate super PAC in support of Lindsey Graham (R).
10/05/20: $1,000 to Special Operations for America, another Republican PAC.
To date, Trish Duggan has a given a total of: (a) $5,634,600 to the effort to reelect Trump; (b) $232,200 to the effort to reelect Lindsay Graham; (c) $1,000 to another Republican PAC, for a total of $5,867,800 given to Republican PACs this election cycle. See:
https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/donor_detail.php?cycle=2020&id=k0001295772&type=I&super=N&name=Duggan%2C+Patricia
Why am I posting this?
My point is neither anti-Trump nor pro-Trump, neither anti-Republican party nor pro-Republican party. I would post precisely the same thing if the contributions had been made to the Biden campaign and other Democrats.
I believe it is significant when a Scientologist is politically active. I believe it is far more significant when a Scientologist billionaire is politically active.
The importance of these donations is not just how much is donated, but also what they portend for the future.
Republicans could reasonably think, “If between them the Duggans have already donated almost $6 million to Republicans, and the Duggan family donated $360 million to Scientology, how much might they donate to our candidates in the future?”
Will any Republican in Washington take on or antagonize Scientology if it means pissing off the Duggans and causing them to stop making political contributions to Republicans?
And again, I would ask precisely the same question if the contributions had been made to the Biden campaign and other Democrats. My concern is non-partisan. My concern is solely about the political influence of Scientology generally, regardless of party. For example, I furiously tweeted and posted the story (including here) about Biden VP hopeful Karen Bass having spoken at the Inglewood Org opening and praising Scientology front-groups six months before the story “broke” on the Daily Caller.
NOTE: I am making this new corrected post because I forgot where we last left off cataloging Patricia (Trish) Duggan’s political donations. As a result I missed her new $1,000,000 donation to the America First Action political action committee on 09/25/20. Totals are revised accordingly.
Based on data released by the FEC on October 22, 2020, Open Secrets reports that Scientologist billionaire Patricia (Trish) Duggan has made the following additional political contributions:
10/12/20: $232,200 to Security Is Strength, a single-candidate super PAC in support of Lindsey Graham (R).
10/05/20: $1,000 to Special Operations for America, another Republican PAC.
09/25/20: another $1,000,000 to America First Action, a single-candidate super PAC in support of Donald Trump.
To date, Trish Duggan has a given a total of: (a) $6,634,600 to the effort to reelect Trump; (b) $232,200 to the effort to reelect Lindsay Graham; (c) $1,000 to another Republican PAC, for a total of $6,867,800 given to Republican PACs this election cycle. See:
https://exscn2.net/threads/florida-scientologist-trish-duggan-becomes-huge-trump-donor.1963/
https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/donor_detail.php?cycle=2020&id=k0001295772&type=I&super=N&name=Duggan%2C+Patricia
/
Everyone, regardless of their political ideology, should see the Mitchell and Webb routine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn1VxaMEjR.
(Drat, I’m being partisan, again.)
I appreciate your research. You are right, it should be non-partisan. Any time any scientologist donates to any cause other than their own, they are doing it only to safeguard themselves, forward their agenda or support fighting whistle blowers exposing them.
In this case I see Duggan supporting the republicans and Trump because she sees in him a similar figure to Hubbard and miscavige. She supports materialistic, devious and morally corrupt leaders. This is an excellent example of the top of the bridge. IMHO Scientology breeds psychopaths. And rewards wealth not spiritual growth.
“You’re right, it should be non-partisan.”
Then — “[Trump is] materialistic, devious and corrupt…”
Um…
That’s about as non-partisan a statement as any CNN, MSNBC, or Vox have made.
My personal opinion of the candidates is different than my opinion regarding scientologists donating to any party. I agree with ISNOI and his laying out the facts regarding Scientology donations and that it is dangerous.
My observations regarding Trump and his similarity to Hubbard should have been a separate comment. Or not included at all as Mikes blog is not a political platform.
I apologize for including that part of the comment.
Raniere and Miscavige similarities:
Raniere was supported by scores of millions of dollars, provided free by the Bronfman woman who just got 6.75 years and millions in fines. DM has been supported by the million$ from Hubbard, then the IAS, and probably much more.
Raniere: loves to damage his minions; DM, same.
Both: absolute power at the highest level.
Both: use then discard women (though Raniere wins if this is a contest.)
Both: love to get revenge for any slight.
Both: use the courts as a tool to harm critics.
Both: classic psychopathic cult leaders.
Both: encourage or demand people forgo medical treatment.
Both: use schemes of LRH to benefit self.
…and much, much more
Something to think about: We know that a number of church Sea Org Members have been held at Int. Base in the hole (which the church says does not exist) for at least the last 10 years. We have proof that two members Heber Jentzsch and Guillaume Lesevre were seen by relatives on base. Let’s take out the hole (it does not exist) of the equation. These church members have held no post in the last 10 years and have been housed, fed and clothed at the expense of the church. They have been retired Sea Org members who have been declared as Suppressive person or potential trouble source. Again they have been housed, fed and clothed at the expense of the Church of Scientology. If the church offers housing, food and clothing to retired members and a trouble source they must offer this to all Sea Org members of the church at the churches expense. You cannot be selective in who you provide for, it’s all or none. That’s like the owner of company having his insurance paid for by the company and not offering the same benefits to the employees. Am I wrong?
Morally, you are right. You may even be right in law, though that’s not my area. But it is a big leap from something “everyone knows” to having standing to bring a civil suit, or having law enforcement get evidence legally, then convincing a prosecutor to take on Scientology.
The hurdles are not insurmountable, but they are high.
“That’s like the owner of company having his insurance paid for by the company and not offering the same benefits to the employees. Am I wrong?”
Probably not wrong but if the ’employee’ is considered not in good standing then the benefits may not accrue until you have made up the damage. Of course ‘making up the damage’ comes with a price, in this case a literal one.
I doubt if the laws in this country regarding separation of church and state foresaw what people like Hubbard, Jones, Raniere, Miscavige and similar ‘practitioners’ would do to a fellow human being given the opportunity.
The Albany NY area has had Raniere’s number for a long time. See timesunion dot com and search on NXIVM and Keith Raniere. You will find some of the best info on NXIVM and the scam.
Vicente describes a classic psychopathic cult leader such as those who have headed Scientology as well. Raniere deliberately mixed in elements of Scientology, as well as Ericksonian hypnosis (I suspect Hubbard might actually have learned some things from Erickson in Phoenix) and the manipulative social influence techniques of its offshoot NLP. As in Scientology, it was a devious and powerful mix that created a high degree of control over dedicated followers, leading them to do things that harmed their own lives and personal interests including their health and longevity, thus constitituting something very close to brainwashing.
I was thinking it over, and the “collateral” that slaves and others of the most heavily involved had to provide, gave Raniere the same sort of leverage as disconnection in Scientology. His followers were mostly single and did not have other family members who belonged, so he did not have the same sort of interpersonal connections to threaten, that have developed in Scientology over more than half a century and that Miscavige now leverages.
VICTIMS IMPACT STATEMENT(S)
Some day, maybe someday…..those who have suffered abuse at the hands & behest of OTHER religions will be able to unload the heavy burden they’ve carried, some for decades in the same type of Court setting…..if only it were to come to fruition.
My dearest fondest hope & dream is that what was TAKEN from you, your family members through the disconnection policy (that is claimed does not exist)…be returned in FULL…that being the reconnection of family relationships
EVIL it does exist…..it comes in many forms & many disguises. Let it be known, eventually the Devil gets HIS DUE…..it’s coming David M……that’s why you keep looking over your shoulder, can’t sleep unless boozed up, & can trust NO ONE, even your own WIFE had to be “stashed somewhere”….she knows too much.
I honestly believe that Miscavige is VERY similar to Keith except that Miscavige is smarter, more calculated and thus more dangerous.
Mat, spot on!
Thanks for posting this. I pray they are coming for Miscavage next.
Run Davey, run. Run to the Fleece winds and avoid all process servers.
“…Coerced them to starve themselves, sleep depravation, cutting them off from their friends and family, closing doors on their life and career opportunities, shunning, terrorism by litigation, branding, triangulating his students against each other, maliciously squandering the child bearing years of dozens of women, convincing people he knew better than their doctors… resulting in them forgoing medical treatment they should have had. These are all terrible things. But it is the psychological and existential injuries which will continue for the rest of our lives… that I find the most heinous.”
The only thing not true in the above statement about the church of scientology and its leader and the way it treats its staff and members is “branding.”
“The only thing not true in the above statement about the church of scientology and its leader and the way it treats its staff and members is “‘branding.'”
Mary, one could argue that branding is also something Scientology does, just psychologically, rather than on the skin.
I think it is called a Goldenrod Brand. I have one of those and proud of it! Problem is I can’t get Julian to cough up a hardcopy.
The COS uses a DIFFERENT KIND of branding….those “UNIFORMS” which clearly indicated that you ARE a member of this “religious sect”…….easily & quickly identifiable just by looking at you. Not as if you can wear “street clothes”….especially while on “duty”.
Walking around Clear Water & the ONLY place you are really permitted to go would be anything owned & operated by COS. Those military Navy type Uniforms, necklaces, bracelets, trophies…..aaahhhh….all with the noticeable COS Logo.
Brand name….branding….symbols…..all about the same old stuff as the Cross signifies Christian, the Star of David..Jewish & all other type of symbols……the COS “cross” really isn’t a CROSS AT ALL….IS IT…..????….Yet it signifies COS……
Thank you for posting this. I did not know anything about this man.
My initial reaction is that this man is Satan. Throughout history there have been many that can be called Satan. In Milton’s Paradise Lost, Lucifer becomes Satan when he realizes that being ruler in hell is better than obedience in heaven. Keith obviously fits that description. Hubbard fit the description as well but stopped short on many counts.
All I can say is… wow.
I honestly wonder what Dave Miscavige is thinking about all this, if anything.
I have to wonder too…
I’m having the same thoughts…
If it’s not about money or revenge, he doesn’t think about anything.
Don’t forget about scotch whisky.
IMO, as events unfold, he will be thinking more about revenge and less about anything else because as events unfold, he will be watching as his so-called empire crumbles. The only thing that he thinks will bring him any satisfaction under those circumstances is revenge. But with any luck that attempted revenge will likely be the thing that finally ensnares him and puts him in his penitentiary cell – unless the laws of Karma get him first. I’m probably wrong about all of this. But if I’m right, it will likely be exciting to watch him self-destruct. Cretins like him seem to need to destroy above all and at the end, the only left to destroy are themselves. But my predictions are almost always wrong.
I have no idea whether he will choose to go out with some kind of BANG or to sneak out with as much money as he can hide. From the little I know about this snake, I would guess he will chose to “sneak”. Why? Because snakes are naturally sneaky.
The one thing that really puzzles me concerns his billionaire supporters. There is no way in the world they do not read the Internet. Will they continue to support him as the end draws near? I would seriously doubt that. Rats always desert sinking ships.
Yo Dave,
It’s yer turn next good buddy. You can show em that Keith’s a panty waist when it comes to creating human suffering. Dave knows how to get the job done!
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve been on vacation hanging with Tom and friends, trying to enjoy a little well deserved me time. I’ll make sure I increase the suffering to highest ever levels for all Sea Org members in the coming week.
Dave
You show em Dave. Tamarrow at too will be the showdown. Stats should be in the stratosphere for new downstats with lower conditions headin fer the dumpsters in the sky with teethbrushes made of fish hooks.
All the while fewer and fewer to share yer pain. The ‘less is more’ stat continues to be in affluence!
Dave,
You are fooling no one. We know you consider your life to be one perpetual vacation and that you consider all of time to be exclusively “your time”.
But time cannot be owned by anyone and I fully expect time will ensure you learn this lesson shortly and with the greatest possible brutality in order to repay you for all the brutality you have caused to others.
The laws of karma ensure the total “brutality in” equals the total “brutality out”. That applies not only to all humans but to all creatures from the greatest to the smallest and smarmiest.
Real revolutions (not Marxist ones) happen because the government (pardon me for being partisan) does something stupid, in this case, it’s allowing Scientology to pass itself off as a religion.