New York News

Witnesses: Self-Help Guru's Sexual Exploits Destroyed Family

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published May 24, 2019 at 4:29 PM EDT

Jurors at the New York City trial of self-help guru Keith Raniere heard testimony from witnesses who say he sexually exploited three sisters from Mexico.

One of the unidentified sisters testified how her family enrolled the sisters in a program run by Raniere in upstate New York for personal growth.

She said he instead groomed all of them, including one who was only 15, to have sex with him.

A former follower of Raniere, Lauren Salzman, also testified about confining one of the sisters to a bedroom for two years for defying him.

Defense lawyers say Raniere says that his encounters with female followers who joined a group called NXIVM were consensual.

Tags

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.

See stories by Dave Lucas