A federal prosecutor says the former spiritual leader of a cult-like self-improvement group was a "con man" and a "crime boss."
The prosecution delivered closing arguments on Monday at the trial of Keith Raniere, recounting testimony that Raniere had some of his brainwashed female followers branded with his initials, forced one to have sex with another woman and confined a third to a room for nearly two years for defying his orders.
The prosecutor said Raniere "was a ruler with no limits and no checks on his power." who used his NXIVM organization to "tap into a never-ending flow of women and money."
Attorneys for Raniere say he had no criminal intent and that his sexual encounters with followers were consensual.
© 2019 AP
