This is part 2 of the Toni Fly series on prison, being intersex, her wrongful conviction and Keith Raniere.
Part 1: Intersex Toni Fly to Tell Story: Why the BOP Locked Her With Keith Raniere for Six Months
Living with Keith Raniere in the SHU
By Toni Fly
I lived with the world-famous Vanguard, Keith Raniere, in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at USP Tucson for six months.
We spent every day and night together, never apart for more than one hour. We were usually three or four feet away. Although we shared a cell the entire time, every 20 days or so, they would rotate us to a different cell.
The cells measured approximately eight by twelve feet. There were two bunks: I always took the lower, while Keith took the upper.
In this small cell, next to the bunks, there was a desk, a chair, a sink, a toilet, and a shower. The shower often had no hot water, or it was scalding hot, making it unusable.
For 180 days and nights, totaling over 4,000 hours, we were confined in a cell the size of a small bedroom for at least 23 hours each day, and most days, 24 hours.
Life Without Basic Comforts
Sometimes, the lights were on for 24 hours a day. In the SHU, the air conditioning constantly blasts cold air throughout the winter. It was always so cold.
There was no entertainment, as we did not have a television. However, Keith bought me a wind-up radio, providing us with a connection to the outside world as we listened to rock and country music.
Keith and I believe the BOP assigned us together to set him up. I am intersex. My doctor has designated me as female, and I am legally recognized as female.
I had been raped in prison many times. In Tucson, prison officials placed me in a small cell with Keith Raniere, the leader of a so-called sex cult.
A typical two-person cell in the SHU
Targeted Isolation and Withholding Medication
I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. As part of my treatment, I was given a book to read. On page 45 of “I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me,” the author discusses Keith Raniere and explains how someone with borderline personality disorder can be manipulated into harming themselves or others at his command.
They gave me that book and assigned me to a cell in the SHU with him. Suddenly, prison officials discontinued my prescription medication, including my heart medication and hormone treatments.
I experienced cramping and muscle spasms, which made me feel paranoid. Keith did everything he could to keep me calm.
We were determined not to let them win.
Keith Raniere
Tensions in Close Quarters
However, Keith could be demanding. I had to learn how to say no to him, but he also supported me and encouraged me through tough times.
He said, “You need to get out and help many people. You got to help other prisoners and intersex people. You have a mission.”
A few times, we almost came to blows. He held me down when I was yelling, and I said I will fucking kill you.
What do you expect when two people are locked together in the same cell day after day?
Overall, Keith and I got along well. He was like my prison husband. When we had to move, I would make him carry all my stuff.
Adapting to an Unforgiving Environment
When we got into the new cell, I told Keith I would clean it. They were always so dirty. Keith would stay in his bunk, and I would clean the cell in my bra and panties.
Keith used to call me OVA, “only vagina around.” I would jokingly call him Master.
Inside our cells, we spent most of our time in our bunks. I put curtains around mine so that I could be boxed in and keep a little warmer. I had a little apartment inside my bunk within the cell.
Just outside my bunk, Keith loved to pace—two to four hours at a time—four or five steps in either direction and back again.
When it got maddening, I told him, “Get the fuck on the bunk.” He would get up in his bunk and give me a little relief.
Daily Routines and Strange Encounters
He would also get in his bunk when we had arguments. You live within inches of each other, unable to get more than a few feet away. Our only separate space was our bunks.
We were only apart when the COs let us go to recreation. Most times I went alone. Keith wouldn’t leave his cell. Occasionally, I got him to go with me.
The recreation area was just a few cages with covered sides. As they walked me to the recreation cage, the COs made comments. I’d walk, handcuffed and shackled, and they’d ask, “Are you getting the brand? Did you get the brand?”
“You didn’t?”
“Yeah.”
Finally, one day I said, “Yeah, I think I’m going to, I think it’s happening.”
The Question Everyone Wants Answered
Now, to explore the question probably on some people’s minds—did we have sex?
There were plenty of rumors between prison officials and inmates that we did. There were no cameras in the cell.
To be continued…
