Prosecutors have shown the person Brooklyn jury evidence of a number of crimes, ranging from images of child pornography to testimony from a woman who said she was tied to a table by Raniere and then forced to have oral sex performed on her by someone else. A light has been shone in the darkness and his crimes have been exposed. Raniere has pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child and human trafficking.
He did not testify in the case and his defense attorney did not call any witnesses, but his attorney has argued that his relationships with NXIVM followers were consensual. An actress who testified in court said he was revered by his students, and some saw him as one of the smartest men in the world. However, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo previously told CNN he felt that Raniere firmly believes his ideas are sound, humanitarian ideas.
In his closing arguments, Agnifilo cautioned jurors to consider whether any actual crimes have been committed. He argued there was no sex trafficking in DOS because there was no commercial aspect to the sexual activities alleged by the victims. The crimes Raniere directed and participated in span nearly 15 years, Penza said. She walked jurors through the seven crimes he has been charged with: racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor, sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking and attempted sex trafficking.
The racketeering charge itself has more than a dozen underlying acts as part of the charge, and jurors have to find two of them to be proven in order to return a guilty verdict for racketeering. One of those sessions, he said, cleared his feelings of claustrophobia while stuck in traffic jams. Lauren Salzman, 42, who pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy in March, testified she was a master and had six slaves of her own.
Several women testified in court that they shared sexually explicit photos, granted access to their bank accounts and recorded videos with damaging stories that would hurt their families and those closest to them. Some of the women said the statements were not even truthful.
