Analysis of Government’s Corroborating Evidence and Camila’s Declaration in Raniere Case
Keith Raniere is admitting nothing. Other than he and Camila, the now 33-year-old Mexican woman whom the government alleged he sexually exploited when she was 15, was his lover – after she came of age.
Raniere fell hard because of Camila – not because she testified against him but because the FBI found 22 nude photos of her on a hard drive in Raniere’s library which the FBI dated to 2005 – when Camila was 15, which made it child porn.
The FBI used the metadata to establish her age. Raniere said the FBI tampered with the evidence to phony up the date to make it appear she was 15 when the photos were taken.
In Raniere’s recent filing, which all are invited to peruse, Raniere makes light of the government’s claim that in addition to the metadata, they had “substantial” and “significant” corroborating evidence to support their allegation that Raniere began an illegal sexual relationship with Camila when she was 15.
Raniere, now serving a 120-year prison sentence in sunny Tucson, Arizona, says the government does not have jackfruit in proof.
Read the entire rebuttal in Raniere’s “Analysis of the Government’s So-Called Corroborating Evidence.”
I will provide the shorthand version for those who want to catch the spirit of Raniere without actually seeing the ghost.
Raniere says that although the government claims it has a lot of evidence, “upon closer examination, it becomes evident that the evidence presented falls short of substantiating the allegations.”
Raniere’s Argument
Let’s analyze the key points Raniere raised in his rebuttal to the government’s evidence concerning him and Camila.
Text messages from Camila: The government presented messages where Camila referred to herself as an “inexperienced 15-year-old.”
However, these messages do not directly support the claim that Mr. Raniere took inappropriate photos of Camila at that age.
Text messages: The government presented a text conversation between Camila and an unknown caller mentioning the guarding of pictures. The defense contends that this conversation, occurring when Camila was 24, lacks specificity regarding the content or timing of said “pics.”
The conversation occurred when Camila was 24, and gives no specifics on the content or timing of the “pics” mentioned:
8:02pm, Feb 1 – Camila: Guard these pics, OK?
8:05pm, Feb 1 – Unknown Caller: Yes of course. You have copies? You know I guard the other pictures right?
8:06pm, Feb 1 – Camila: I have copies….. and the original
8:07pm, Feb 1 – Unknown Caller: They are off my phone… You know I have the others yes?
8:08pm, Feb 1 – Camila: From way back when?
8:08pm, Feb 1 – Unknown Caller: I wanted the original forever. I thought it was truly mine.
Child Pornography Photographs
The government presented explicit photographs allegedly depicting Camila at the age of 15. Raniere claims these photos do not establish her age, as his forensic experts say the FBI manipulated the photo metadata and folder names.
Daniela’s Testimony
Daniela’s room at 12 Wilton Ct. where she remained for almost two years because of an ethical breach — she once kissed another man other than Raniere.
Daniela is Camila’s older sister. She testified to a conversation with Raniere about his relationship with Camila before the fall of 2006. The defense points out that this testimony does not address the issue of producing or possessing photographs of a minor.
Studies Folder
The government discovered nude photographs of various women, including Lauren Salzman and Daniela, on Raniere’s hard drive, in a folder called “Studies.”
Raniere’s experts say the FBI tampered with the photos’ dates and may have planted them on the hard drive.
Keith Raniere and Lauren Salzman having some frolicking good times together.
Lauren Salzman’s Testimony
Lauren Salzman testified about explicit photographs that Raniere took of her in 2005. That does not prove Raniere took photos of Camila that same year.
Daniela’s Testimony
Daniela also claimed Mr. Raniere photographed her nude in 2005 – when she was over 18. However, that does not prove Raniere took photographs of Camila in 2005 when she was 15.
Camila’s Gynecological Records
Camila’s records introduced at trial mention a five-year sexual relationship with a boyfriend when she was 20. Raniere says this does not address the specific issue of when someone took the alleged photographs.
Daniela’s Identification
Raniere’s hard drive.
Daniela confirmed Camila’s identity in one of the alleged child porn photographs, but Raniere argues it does not establish the timing of the photograph.
No Dice, Raniere Says
Raniere disputes the authenticity of the Camila evidence, asserting that the FBI planted and staged the child porn evidence on the hard drive and camera card, and that renders them unreliable, regardless of what Camila said after the trial.
Raniere also claims Camila’s declaration contradicts her earlier statements regarding the timing and frequency of the alleged photo sessions.
Finally, Raniere points out that the EXIF metadata the government used to date the alleged illegal photos is unreliable, and yet the government argued it was reliable through their expert witness, FBI Forensic Examiner Brian Booth.
Brilliance Recognized
Raniere, who once earned recognition in the Guinness Book of Records Australian 1989 Edition for the highest IQ in the world (and, if truth be told, based on a study he created, the highest IQ in the Cosmic Web), and a man whose 120 years sentence is but half his IQ, (240), argues that the government’s corroborating evidence is hardly “substantial” and “significant” but featherlight, and entirely inconsequential.
To get to the quick, Raniere says it is time to hold an evidentiary hearing where he can blow the whole thing up and walk out of USP Tucson a free man.
Will Keith Raniere ever get past these bars? A painting by Marie White.
