Horrific reality inside sex trafficking cult as actor convicted of 'slave master' role speaks out for first time
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Here is the horrifying reality of living inside a cult described as a 'pyramid scheme' for sex trafficking, as a convicted actor speaks out for the first time.
NXIVM - pronounced 'nexium' - was a cult founded by a man named Keith Raniere in 1998.
Billed as a wellness group and self-help organisation, NXIVM featured a slogan which read 'working to build a better world'. However, the cult was later exposed as a sex-trafficking scheme by an expose by the New York Times in 2017, which involved interviews with former group members.
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Raniere was later sentenced to 120 years for his crimes in 2021, which included sex trafficking, racketeering, forced labour and fraud conspiracy.
Other high profile members included heiress Clare Bronfman, Nancy Salzman and Smallville actor Allison Mack, who received a three-year sentence for racketeering and conspiracy charges.
She was released in 2023 after serving a two-year sentence.
The case of NXIVM is back in the news once again after Mack spoke out about her time in the cult, which saw her labelled as a 'slave master' who would recruit young women to serve as sex slaves to Raniere.
What was life like inside NXIVM?
Following Raniere's arrest in 2018, harrowing details of what life was like inside the NXIVM subgroup DOS (which stands for 'Dominus Obsequious Sororium' or 'Master Over Slave Women') came to light in court documents.
DOS was described as a secret 'women's empowerment' group, which Mack was said to be the second-in-command of, below Raniere, and held the role of 'master', according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Women brought into the cult were held down and branded with the letters K, R, A and M, which stood for the initials of Mack and Raniere.
The women were also forced to hand over compromising information of explicit images of themselves to the group, described as 'collateral'. Should the women try to leave or speak out about the group, the information would be used as blackmail against them.
Documents also allege that women trafficked into DOS were encouraged to starve themselves and engage in infrequent sexual intercourse with Raniere, or risk having their 'collateral' exposed, per PEOPLE.
Some women, including actor India Oxenberg, even recalled losing her hair and being unable to menstruate due to the stress she was putting her body through.
The exact number of women who were brought into DOS isn't clear, however prosecutors believe there was at least 50, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Brenna Cooper