News

When HBO dropped their docuseries, The Vow in August 2020, the world was absolutely captivated by the story of the Nxivm cult and particularly its leader, Keith Raniere. Told from the perspective of several ex-members including Sarah Edmondson, Mark Vicente, Bonnie Piesse, Anthony “Nippy” Ames, Barbara Bouchey, Susan Dones, and Toni Natalie, audiences were taken through the complicated, illegal, and abusive events that took place behind closed doors.

HBO's documentary, The Vow, explores the shocking and creepy world of the cult-like group Nxivm and its founder, Keith Raniere. Where is Raniere now, you might want to know? Following the exposure of Nxivm's more horrifying practices, Raniere is finally paying the price for his crimes, although what that price is has yet to be officially determined.

Nxivm was originally founded by Raniere and Nancy Salzman in the 1990s and marketed as a business-coaching and self-help company. A 2017 New York Times investigation revealed the depths of horrifying things happening under the cover of the "self-help" program, particularly in a supersecret subgroup dubbed "Dos." Victims were told they were being initiated into an empowering sorority, but what really happened was more like a cult: they were forced to give up compromising material such as nude photos as collateral that would be released if they revealed the group's existence.

Several women...

Sex cult documentary series The Vow is coming back for a second season on HBO.

The premium cable network has renewed the series, from directors and exec producers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, to continue to the story of the Nxivm cult. Season 2 will air in 2021.

It will be set against the backdrop of the federal trial of the United States against Keith Raniere and will offer a further view into Raniere’s innermost circle. It delves into the stories of Nxivm’s top leadership in the US and Mexico, and into powerful, intimate stories of Dos members. Season 2 follows the legal and emotional journeys of the group’s founders, supporters and defectors as new evidence and stunning revelations come to light while federal prosecutors and defense attorneys battle for opposing views of justice in a case caught in the national spotlight.

The series, which premiered in August, followed the members of “self-improvement” group Nxivm,...

Clare Bronfman — benefactor of Nxivm founder Keith Raniere and Seagram liquor heir — became the first defendant sentenced in connection with the marketing company’s human-trafficking and sexual abuse case.

Charged with identity theft and immigration fraud, she was sentenced to 81 months — six years and nine months — in prison for conspiracy to conceal and harbor aliens for financial gain and fraudulent use of personal identification information. The judge also imposed a $500,000 fine and a restitution of $96,605 paid to victim “Jane Doe 12.”

According the the U.S. Attorney Eastern District of New York, nine people gave victim impact statements about Bronfman’s involvement in the cult headed by Raniere and how it harmed them.

The long-awaited hearing on Wednesday was the first opportunity for survivors and former Nxivm members to speak to the judge. It was also the first major sentencing inside Brooklyn’s federal courthouse since the coronavirus-forced lockdown.

In August,...