Former 'Sex Slave' Of Self-Help Guru Testifies At His Trial

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published May 17, 2019 at 4:47 PM EDT

A former follower of a self-help guru is telling a jury how the leader created a sorority of sex slaves under his command.

The testimony by Lauren Salzman came Friday at the New York City trial of Keith Raniere. Raniere pleaded not guilty to charges he formed the secret society within an upstate New York group called NXIVM that branded devotees with his initials.

The 42-year-old Salzman testified that she and other women, including TV actress Allison Mack, were labeled "slaves" and that Raniere was their "master." She said that when he met with them, they were required to take off all their clothes and sit at his feet.

Salzman and Mack have already pleaded guilty to charges they abused lower-ranking slaves.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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