We have, perhaps, some tedious news for those sated with stories about Keith Alan Raniere: He has filed a Motion to Set Aside Conviction on the grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel.
To go free, he must show: (1) that counsel’s performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness; and (2) that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s objectively unreasonable performance, the result of the proceeding would have been different.
His motion is more than 200 pages, nine times the maximum 25-page length for such motions. He is asking the judge to overlook that little inconsistency.
Don’t forget, ladies and gentlemen, that coming soon will be the aptly titles documentary about Raniere, made by his followers, entitled Con Job.
In his motion, Raniere relates how on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2018, the DOJ filed a sealed complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), accusing Raniere of Forced Labor and Sex Trafficking.
Raniere was in sunny Mexico, outside the jurisdiction of eager US authorities, who in turn collaborated with Mexican law enforcement to collar him, which they did five weeks later – on March 25. Mexican officials unceremoniously evicted Vanguard from Mexico, and at US taxpayer expense delivered him to the West Texas Town of El Paso.
Since that fateful day, Raniere has been in custody.
Trial Did Not Go Well
In Brooklyn, a federal jury convicted Raniere of racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, forced labor conspiracy (wire fraud conspiracy); sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking, and attempted sex trafficking. Judge Nicholas Garaufis sentenced Raniere to 120 years, as yet unserved, and a $250,000 fine as yet unpaid.
Raniere appealed on legal insufficiency, constitutional challenges, and on the basis that “a commercial sex act” required an exchange of money or financial benefits to qualify for sex trafficking. The Second Circuit disagreed, and the Supreme Court declined to hear him on April 17, 2023.
Raniere also has a Rule 33 motion pending based on his claims that the FBI planted evidence to convict him.
In his latest motion claiming his lawyers were inept, Raniere makes a plethora of arguments why these blundering idiots dropped the ball on an innocent man.
He knows what needs to be done. The law says if the lawyers blew it, the court must order the gates to be opened, his cell to be unlocked, his street clothes returned. With a pat on the back and the hearty handclasp, the warden should arrange an Uber to send him to one or more of his adoring supporters.
In the coming articles, FR will examine the world’s smartest man’s pro se motion to set aside his conviction, based on the fact that the $10 or $15 million his adoring devotee Clare Bronfman invested in his legal defense and attack on his conviction was entirely ineffective.
Keith and Clare
Legatus Stands Tall
Clare Bronfman, who in some circles is known as Legatus, remains devoted to her Vanguard from her max security prison in Philadelphia, while her prince resides in lovely Tucson in his max security prison.
Not long ago, she was admonished by Raniere through his followers for putting her need to get out of prison ahead of his need to do likewise.
The high-minded, if intellectually challenged heiress, who has squandered most of her inheritance on her Vanguard, accepted the chastisement with the grace and demeanor of a perfect imbecile, of which all who know her know without a doubt that that is exactly what she is.
Stay tuned, won’t you, for our series on why Raniere thinks his attorneys didn’t do jack shit, and as we said at the top of this article, had they only done better and not been so horrid, he’d be a free man right now.
