NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison on Tuesday for sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy, and other crimes.

Many of the women persuaded by Raniere said he ordered them to have sex with him and even branded his initials on them. This includes sexually abusing a 15-year-old. 

U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said Raniere was "ruthless and unyielding" as he preyed on girls and young women in the sex-trafficking conspiracy. The said conspiracy resulted in Raniere's conviction last year.

Garaufis presided the case and heard 15 previous NXIVM members who became witnesses against Raniere. The cult leader looked at the victims as they spoke in the courtroom.

He said that he was "truly sorry" that his organization led to a place where there is so much anguish. He continued to deny all cases put against him, saying that he is innocent.

"It is true I am not remorseful of the crimes I do not believe I committed at all," Raniere said in an Associated Press News report. 

Prosecutors earlier sought life in prison. However, a defense lawyer said that Raniere should get 20 years of prison time.

The sentencing was based on discoveries done by Raniere's program, NXIVM. The program was said to charge thousands of dollars for invitation-only self-improvement lectures. 

Victims Speaking Out 

A woman named Camila told the court her experience with Raniere.

Camila said that Raniere robbed her of her youth and used her innocence to do whatever he wanted with her. Camila was one of the 15 victims that testified against Raniere.

Victims pictured the sex cult leader as a charismatic self-help guru who lured followers with promises that would help them take control of their lives. However, many of the women indoctrinated by Raniere were pressured to have sex with him.

Some even had his initials on their skin using a cauterizing pen, according to an NPR report. Camila was 15 years old and a virgin when Raniere raped her, according to reports.

Camila then said that her sexual relationship with the cult leader lasted 12 years. The abuse went beyond the physical. Camila said Raniere manipulated her psychologically, making her isolated from her friends and family.

Another former NXIVM member India Oxenberg told the court that Raniere was a sexual predator and forced her to lose so much weight that she had stopped menstruating.

NXIVM

The organization was publicly promoted as a professional development company that offered seminars attended by around 18,000 people since the 1990s.

NXIVM offered intensive therapy courses for several days. It claimed to help people resolve major trauma that is done by fitting those experiences into their lives.

Raniere was known to the members as a guru named "Vanguard." Prosecutors said Raniere formed a secret group inside NXIVM, named DOS or "Dominus Obsequious Sororium." It means "Master Over Slave Women" in translation.

The women would be threatened with incriminating photos that could be used against them if they ever tried to leave.

Forty-one-year-old heiress Clare Bronfman, who was one of Raniere's co-conspirators, was sentenced early this month to about seven years in prison for fraud and forced labor, according to NPR. 

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