Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago?
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls have picked them, every one.
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Oh, when will they ever learn?
Pete Seeger (1955)
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In Part 1 of this series, we took a look at five actresses from Vancouver who became involved with Keith Raniere and NXIVM/ESP – and reviewed what, if anything, they had done in terms of speaking out against the cult leader and his sycophantic followers.
In Part 2, we’ll be looking at several more of the NXIVM-related actresses – and checking to see what, if anything, each of them has done to help bring down the cult and its leaders.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at Catherine Oxenberg, India Oxenberg, Bonnie Piesse, Kristanna Loken, Ludwika Paleta and, of course, Allison Mack.
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Catherine Oxenberg
Catherine Oxenberg has enjoyed a great deal of success in her career as an actress and model.
MK10 Catherine Oxenberg
Best known for her starring role on the Tv series “Dynasty”, the 58-year-old Catherine also appeared in several movies (“Ring of Scorpio”, “Acapulco H.E.A.T”, and “The Omega Code”) before returning to TV in 2005 in the “I Married a Princess” series.
Despite all her commercial success, Catherine was always looking for ways to improve herself – which is what led her to start taking NXIVM training sessions in L.A.
Shortly afterward, she invited her daughter, India, to join her because she thought the training would help India with her plans to become an entrepreneur.
Catherine & India Oxenberg
During the next few years, India was completely transformed from an enthusiastic young woman with dreams of her own to a slave who mindlessly followed the orders of her master, all the while never being allowed to eat enough or sleep enough to sustain herself.
When Catherine found out that India had been branded, she went into all-out “Mama Bear” mode.
She reached out to friends and professional contacts for help.
She spoke to federal and state investigators who promised to look into things but never did anything.
And then, finally, she contacted Frank Parlato – and told him about DOS and the “brandings”.
Frank Parlato headed up an investigation into “The Lost Women of Nxivm”.
Working together, they broke the story about the sex slave operation that Raniere had concocted – a story that eventually got the attention of federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York.
And together they celebrated the downfall of Keith Alan Raniere – and several of his cronies.
Viva Catherine Oxenberg!
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India Oxenberg
Had she wanted to do so, India Oxenberg probably could have had a successful Hollywood career of her own.
As the oldest daughter of Catherine, she had contacts and resources in Hollywood that others only dream about.
India Oxenberg
But after starring in her “The Vector File” when she was just 9-years old, India opted to pursue other interests.
At some point, she decided that she wanted to run her own business – and, urged on by her mother, she signed up to take some NXIVM training sessions.
For whatever reason, India was entranced by the sessions – and quickly became a fervent devotee of NXIVM/ESP and its leader, Keith Raniere.
Eventually, India moved to the Albany, NY area so that she could become more involved with the cult.
That mistake set her on a course that nearly ended with her being prosecuted for sex trafficking and other crimes.
Fortunately, her mother’s hard work and dedication to taking down Raniere and NXIVM/ESP convinced the feds not to prosecute India – a decision that some still criticize as being unfair and biased.
Since she broke off all contact with NXIVM/ESP, India has been working hard to make up for lost time.
India Oxenberg
She is currently engaged to Patrick D’Ignazio, a New York City-based chef who works at the Double Zero restaurant.
Although she has not spoken out publicly about Raniere or the cult, the 28-year-old India is reportedly working on a memoir about her time in NXIVM/ESP.
Time will tell whether she becomes an open critic of the man – and the group – that almost ruined her life.
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Bonnie Piesse
Bonnie Piesse got into the acting business in her native Australia at the tender age of 14 when she played a trapeze artist in “High Flyers”.
Bonnie Piesse
She went on to appear in several Australian TV shows while simultaneously pursuing a very successful songwriting and singing career.
She eventually moved to Los Angeles – where she met and married Mark Vicente.
Through Mark, Bonnie Piesse became started taking NXIVM/ESP training sessions – both in Vancouver and in L.A.
Although it’s not known how committed Bonnie was to the cult’s way of life, she is the one who sought out Catherine Oxenberg – and warned her that she needed to get India out of NXIVM/ESP as soon as possible.
She also told Catherine about India being “branded” – which, in many respects, was the beginning of the end for Raniere and his “inner circle”.
To date, the 37-year-old Bonnie Piesse has not spoken out publicly against NXIVM/ESP or Raniere.
It is believed, however, that she cooperated fully with federal investigators once they finally started investigating the cult’s criminal activities.
Bonnie Piesse
So, no “Viva” for Bonnie – at least not for now – but a hearty “Thanks” for helping to bring down the cult.
And a reminder to Bonnie – and others – that it’s never too late to speak out about these matters.
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Kristanna Loken
Kristanna Loken began her modeling career at the age of 15 – and quickly moved up the ranks.
Kristanna Loken posed on the second day of the 2007 Monte Carlo Television Festival held at Grimaldi Forum on June 12, 2007 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
After landing a modeling contract with Elite, Kristanna went on to make appearances on several TV shows – and eventually landed a role in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”.
Despite appearing in “Blood Rayne” and “Bounty Killer” – and in several TV series (“Painkiller Jayne”, “The L-word” and “Burn Notice”) –
Kristanna’s acting career seemed to stall out around the same time she started attending NXIVM/ESP training sessions.
Like so many other women who came before her, Kristanna became enmeshed in the NXIVM/ESP web – and was actually getting pulled in deeper and deeper at the very time when Raniere was kicked out of Mexico and arrested in the U.S. back in 2018 (As late as April 7, 2018, Kristanna was appearing in an online video endorsing Raniere’s teachings).
Although she was reportedly an ardent member of J’ness, it is not known whether Kristanna ever became a DOS slave.
What is known is that she ended up being a part of Raniere’s harem.
mk10 Keith Raniere sketch
What is also known that Kristanna gave birth to a son in May 2016 – and that she named the child “Thor”.
Thor is a nickname that some women used to refer to Raniere because they believed in his divinity.
Several NXIVM/ESP women have also been known to use the phrase “I don’t want Prince Charming, I want Thor”.
Although several people have alleged that Raniere is Thor’s father, that relationship has never been acknowledged by Kristanna or Raniere.
Kristanna has never spoken out against Raniere or NXIVM/ESP – and will likely never do so.
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Ludwika Paleta
Ludwika Paleta also began her acting career at a very young – when, as an 11-year-old, she landed a role in the Mexican TV series “Carrusel”.
Ludwika Paleta
Almost overnight, she became a sex-symbol among Mexican pre-teen boys.
Her next role came when, at the ripe old age of 14, she appeared in another Mexican TV series “El Abuelo y yo”.
She was married to briefly to Plutarco Haza, a Mexican actor – and had a son with him, Nicolás, when she was 20.
Later, she met – and married – Emiliano Salinas, the son of Carlos Salinas, the former President of Mexico.
Mexican actress Ludwika Paleta married Emiliano Salinas in 2013.
Emiliano was, of course, one of the most famous and wealthy members of the NXIVM cult/criminal enterprise – and had all the sordid stories not become public, he may well have been a Presidential candidate himself.
Instead, Emi ended up being labeled as a “co-conspirator” by the lead prosecutor during the trial of Keith Raniere.
Ludwika actually bought a luxury estate in Waterford, NY – just a short distance away from Raniere’s home at 21 Oregon Trail – so that she and Emi could be close by to the man they called Vanguard.
It is not known if Raniere ever “mentored” Ludwika and/or whether she was ever branded with his initials.
What is known is that she told reporters who tracked her down as she was exiting the Milan Theater that she and Emi were not taking any blame when it came to Raniere.
“It has been a difficult process. Fortunately, this situation has already been resolved in the United States courts. It has been clarified. Emiliano was not called to testify and he was not mentioned. We are calm and happy that this has already been settled. There is an ongoing legal process where there are still things to resolve but we think it will work out quite well for us.
“It has been a hard and bitter time for us, for everyone. I think the most important thing is to make it clear that both Emiliano and I are against and repudiate any act of violence and any act of denigrating any human being”.
Don’t expect to hear any more comments from Ludwika about Raniere or NXIVM/ESP.
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Allison Mack
And last, but certainly not least, we have the now infamous Allison Mack, the Hollywood actress who has lost everything she had because of her association with Raniere and NXIVM/ESP.
Allison Mack
The onetime star of Smallville who began her acting career at the tender age of 4 pleaded guilty to two felony counts back in April of last year – one for Racketeering and one for Racketeering Conspiracy – and is still on home confinement awaiting sentencing.
During her allocution, Allison indicated that she had “…come to the conclusion that I must take full responsibility for my conduct. And that is why I am pleading guilty today.
“I am very sorry for the victims of this case. I am also very sorry for the harm that I caused to my family. They are good people who I have hurt through my misguided adherence to Keith Raniere’s teachings. I apologize to them from the bottom of my heart, and I am truly very sorry for what I have done. Through this plea and the help of others, I have begun the process of healing and repairing the relationships in my life”.
Not exactly a denunciation of Raniere – but still quite a bit more than we got from some of her co-defendants in the case.
Allison is supposedly still cooperating with the feds in an effort to reduce the amount of time she will spend in federal prison.
Allison Mack will be heading off to federal prison soon.
But regardless of how much time that turns out to be, it is unlikely that Allison will ever attain the sort of Hollywood glamor she once had.
Viva Executive Success!
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So, that’s it, folks. At least that’s all the NXIVM/ESP-related actresses that I know about. If you know of any others, please feel free to share.
