Although I think the judge will seriously consider signed letters directed to the court and not anonymous letters published on Frank Report, I think it is interesting to publish the views of readers, for they may very well represent views the judge will hear, and perhaps, views no one else will state in print.
Here is one such view from a reader.
An Open Letter to Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis;
Re The Sentencing of Lauren Salzman and Allison Mack:
By Anonymous
I will remind the court at this time that all of the women who were coerced by the two female defendants [Lauren Salzman and Allison Mack] into having sex with Keith Raniere were, in effect, being raped each time they engaged in sex acts with Mr. Raniere.
The female victims were forced/coerced, via blackmail, into engaging in sexual relations with Mr. Raniere, by Ms. Mack and Ms. Salzman.
Ms. Mack and Ms. Salzman are ‘accomplices to rape’ and aided and abetted Mr. Raniere in his crimes of rape.
The multitude of female victims were under duress when they were engaging in sex acts with Mr. Raniere, and did not freely consent to sexual relations. I need not remind the court of the Federal government’s definition of rape.
A criminal’s personal sex, whether male or female, is not legal grounds for granting leniency or clemency.
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With all due respect to Frank Parlato, the victim impact statements matter more than the word of one man and have more legal merit than one man’s empathy and show of sympathy to the defendants.
Would the same empathy and sympathy exist towards the defendants if the defendants were men and not women?
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The court has an obligation to the law, to justice, and to the large numbers of female victims who fell victim to Keith Raniere.
There is little doubt the majority of the female rape victims will never have their voices heard by the court
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To lay people,
The Federal definition of forcible rape:
“The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will” to “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim”.
