The Keith Raniere trial ended on June 19, 2019, when a Brooklyn federal jury convicted the NXIVM founder on all seven counts against him after deliberating less than five hours. Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis sentenced him to 120 years in federal prison on October 27, 2020, along with a $1.75 million fine.1United States Department of Justice. NXIVM Leader Keith Raniere Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison for Racketeering and Sex Trafficking Offenses Every appeal he has filed since has failed.
The Seven Federal Counts
A superseding indictment in the Eastern District of New York charged Raniere with seven counts. Two were racketeering charges: a racketeering conspiracy count for operating NXIVM as a criminal enterprise, and a substantive racketeering count for personally running the enterprise’s affairs through a pattern of criminal activity. The underlying acts included extortion, identity theft, and possession of child sexual abuse material.
Two counts charged the sexual exploitation of a child, based on producing sexually explicit images of a minor identified in court as “Camila” on two dates in November 2005. Three counts involved sex trafficking: conspiracy to traffic women through force, fraud, and coercion; a substantive sex trafficking count tied to one victim; and an attempted sex trafficking count involving another.
Forced labor and wire fraud show up throughout the coverage of the case, but at trial they functioned as predicate acts inside the racketeering counts rather than standalone charges.2Justia Case Law. United States v. Raniere
What the Jury Heard
The government built its case around former NXIVM members who described how the group operated from the inside. Witnesses explained a secret sub-group called DOS, structured as a hierarchy of women labeled “slaves” and “masters,” with Raniere sitting alone at the top. To join, each woman handed over “collateral”: nude photographs, damaging secrets, or other material that could ruin her if released. Witnesses testified that women in DOS were pressured into having sex with Raniere and were branded near the pelvic area with a mark designed to include his initials.
One central witness, identified as Daniela, testified that she had been confined to a single room in her family’s home for roughly two years after Raniere and NXIVM leadership treated her kiss with another man as an “ethical breach.” Before her confinement, she had performed unpaid work for the organization at Raniere’s direction, including illegal computer hacking. Her account fed directly into the forced labor allegations inside the racketeering charges.
Daniela’s sister testified about Raniere’s sexual relationship with Camila, who was 15 when the abuse began. Prosecutors backed the testimony with sexually explicit photographs of Camila recovered from Raniere’s possession, along with transcripts of his electronic communications.
The Verdict
The trial ran roughly six weeks. The jury took less than five hours to return guilty verdicts on all seven counts.1United States Department of Justice. NXIVM Leader Keith Raniere Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison for Racketeering and Sex Trafficking Offenses The sex trafficking conviction alone carried a mandatory minimum of 15 years under federal law, which sets that floor when force, fraud, or coercion is involved.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1591 – Sex Trafficking of Children or by Force, Fraud, or Coercion
Sentence and Restitution
At sentencing on October 27, 2020, Judge Garaufis imposed 120 years and a $1.75 million fine. The court called the crimes appalling and noted Raniere’s lack of remorse.
Restitution was handled at a separate hearing in July 2021. Judge Garaufis ordered Raniere to pay approximately $3.46 million to 21 victims, covering mental health care expenses, up to $2,500 per victim for past or future surgery to remove the DOS brand, and related medical costs. Raniere is serving his sentence at United States Penitentiary Tucson in Arizona.
What Happened to the Co-Defendants
Raniere did not build NXIVM alone, and several co-defendants were charged and sentenced separately. Their outcomes varied sharply based on cooperation.
- Clare Bronfman, an heiress who served on NXIVM’s executive board and financed much of the organization, was sentenced to 81 months on September 30, 2020, after pleading guilty to identity theft and immigration fraud offenses.4United States Department of Justice. NXIVM Executive Board Member Clare Bronfman Sentenced to 81 Months in Prison for Identity Theft and Immigration Offenses
- Nancy Salzman, NXIVM’s co-founder and president, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and received three and a half years in September 2021.
- Allison Mack, the “Smallville” actress who recruited women into DOS, pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to three years in June 2021. Without her cooperation she would have faced 14 to 17 and a half years.
- Lauren Salzman, Nancy Salzman’s daughter and a key trial witness, avoided prison. Prosecutors credited her “extraordinary cooperation,” including detailed testimony about the branding rituals, and she received five years of probation and 300 hours of community service in July 2021.
- Kathy Russell, NXIVM’s bookkeeper, pleaded guilty to visa fraud and received two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
Lauren Salzman’s racketeering plea normally called for seven to nine years. Her testimony against Raniere earned her the largest reduction of any co-defendant.
Appeals and the Current Status of the Case
Raniere’s direct appeal to the Second Circuit focused on the sex trafficking convictions. He argued that federal sex trafficking law requires a monetary exchange and that the exploitation must be for profit. The Second Circuit rejected both arguments in December 2022, holding that the statute’s reference to “anything of value” is broad enough to include intangible benefits such as a privileged position in the DOS hierarchy, and it affirmed the sex trafficking convictions.2Justia Case Law. United States v. Raniere
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Raniere’s petition for certiorari in April 2023, ending his direct appeal.5Supreme Court of the United States. Docket 22-855 – Raniere v. United States
He then moved for a new trial, claiming federal investigators had manufactured the child sexual abuse material used as evidence against him. Judge Garaufis denied the motion in April 2024. In March 2026, the Second Circuit affirmed the denial, finding that Raniere had not identified newly discovered evidence or shown that prosecutors had suppressed anything, and that the trial evidence was sufficient to convict. His 120-year sentence stands.