Brit Nxivm sex slave tells of 13 years in sect as ‘leader’ who compared himself to Einstein goes on trial
'Slaves' like Sylvie had to obey 'masters' in the cult group, with Keith Raniere allegedly in charge as the only man
A BRIT NXIVM victim has told of the 13 years she spent in the 'master-slave' sect as the "leader" who once compared himself to Einstein goes on trial.
Former self-help guru Keith Raniere, 58, has been accused of preying on young women and turning them into sex slaves for his New York based group.
The 32-year-old woman, referred to as Sylvie, at Manhattan federal court, recalled being recruited at the age of 18.
Nxivm, started under another name in 1998 and is pronounced "Nexium".
Based in the city of Albany, it once operated numerous self-improvement centers across North and Central America.
She recalled Seagram liquor heiress Clare Bronfman leading her into the group, and explaining that she was required to perform perverted acts to please 'leader' Raniere.
Raniere has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, child pornography and other crimes and faces life in prison if convicted.
Former "Smallville" star Allison Mack and Bronfman have already pleaded guilty to related crimes, as well as three other women accused of involvement in Raniere's scheme.
'WE HAD TO PLEASE HIM'
Sylvie claimed she couldn't try and back out because the 'master' insisted they had embarrassing material on her.
This included a letter written to her parents where she falsely claimed she was a prostitute.
She told the trial: "I had to do what my master said to do or my collateral would be released."
Another purpose was to "basically make me keep my mouth shut," she claimed.
At one point, she claims she tried to flirt with Raniere by text, but he simply responded: "You're going to have to do better than that."
He soon was demanding that she send him nude photos, she told the court.
Since she was married, "It was a freaky thing," she claimed, "I had to do it in secret."
NO WAY OUT
At one point, she was "horrified" to learn that her father had stumbled across a computer file of her photos and immediately stopped sending them, she said.
She started to cry on the stand while describing how her "master" scolded her for not getting Raniere's permission first.
Her worst nightmare became reality when she received this message from her handler: "It was her turn to seduce the group's leader, Keith Raniere."
She told the trial: "[I thought], Oh God. This is not what I want to do. What does this even mean?"
Raniere's victims included three Mexican sisters, one of whom was only 15, according to prosecutors. The government plans to introduce explicit photographs of the youngest sister seized from Raniere's computer as evidence.
Another sister was confined to a room for two years, the court was told.
Prosecutors have not publicly released a witness list.
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