The documentary Con Job: United States vs. Raniere, produced by a person or persons unknown, is not available for public viewing.
All we have is a trailer with almost 50,000 views in eight days on YouTube – although that may not reflect the authentic number of viewers who have seen the five-minute trailer.
Promotions for the movie claim it is “coming soon.”
FR revealed a few details about the documentary, and a website, conjobmovie.com, which supports federal prisoner Keith Raniere’s legal arguments that the FBI tampered with evidence to “frame an innocent man” – namely, he.
Raniere, the founder of NXIVM, was convicted in June 2019 on multiple charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, with predicate acts of possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child and sentenced to 120 years in prison in October 2020.
Keith Raniere in late 2017- early 2018, taken by a New York Times photographer for a story that did not appear until after his arrest in March 2018….
In most places, to most minds, the words “con job” and “Raniere” together would prompt the suggestion that the conman is he.
But in this anonymously-promoted film, the government does the con job, and Raniere is the victim.
Despite the respectable 50,000 YouTube views, only one comment – mine – and two likes.
With a controversial topic like Raniere, it seems unlikely that so few would comment.
The 50,000 views are almost certainly the result of advertising.
It appears someone bought YouTube ads for the Con Job movie. The trailer reportedly appears as an advertisement on various unrelated YouTube videos.
YouTube often shows five or more seconds of an ad on popular videos before granting the viewer the option of skipping the ad. He can then watch the video he wished to see or continue watching the advertisement.
A source familiar with YouTube said that YouTube may count even those who watch only five seconds as viewers contributing, in Con Job’s case, the 50,000 number.
It is also possible to buy views for YouTube videos, and online packages start for as little as $7.99 per 1000 views.
It is reasonable to believe that if the Con Job trailer were widely known, people, even those unfamiliar with Raniere, might find it interesting.
The producers present credible people, arguing that the FBI tampered with digital evidence.
These include four retired FBI agents and/or FBI forensic examiners, a former US Attorney, a state judge, a Harvard professor, and constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz.
It is no secret that Raniere supporters paid these experts, mainly his chief financial supporter, Clare Bronfman.
Paying experts is not unusual. That’s how they make their living.
The onus is on the intelligent person to factor that in as part of their analysis.
Low Budget, High Stakes
The production quality of the Con Job movie is relatively low budget, based on the trailer.
The producers used stock footage, and the trailer featured only one new interview – of Raniere’s most recent attorney, Arthur Aidalia.
The editor took prior interviews and archival footage and used them in the trailer.
The experts’ appearances came from videos already available to the public during the campaign to promote Raniere’s FBI tampering narrative.
Based on the trailer and having a little experience in making documentaries, the cost of Con Job to produce is between $15,000 – $25,000.
Raniere Supporters Burned by Film Scammer
However, the producer may have paid much more.
Not long ago, supporters of Raniere paid film scam artist Dave Williams $500,000 to make a documentary and he produced nothing.
His scam, however, or rather the way he used the ill-gotten money, sent him back to federal prison for a violation of his probation.
Williams, who can charm the corn right out of the husk, and money right out of the wallets of would be film investors, preferred to sail on yachts, and live the glamorous lifestyle that bigtime producers might live, without bothering to make the film, which would only cut into his profits and take a lot of time too.
Creative Talent and Financing Source?
A person behind the film’s financing might be Clare Bronfman, an heiress, former equestrian, and COO of NXIVM.
She is the daughter of the late Edgar Bronfman Sr., the former chairman of the Seagram Company Ltd., a Canadian distillery corporation. Her sister, Sara Bronfman, was also a leader of NXIVM.
Sara and Clare Bronfman…
In April 2018, Clare pleaded guilty to two federal charges related to her involvement with NXIVM, harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification.
She was sentenced in September 2020 to 81 months in prison, along with a $500,000 fine, $96,605 in restitution to one of her victims, and a six million dollar payment in lieu of forfeiture to US the federal government, of which around $3.4 million went to Raniere’s victims as restitution.
Suneel Chakravorty
The creative talent behind Con Job may be Suneel Chakravorty. He is familiar with the tampering topic, is well-versed in computer science, and has skills in film editing.
He is also Raniere’s power of attorney.
