She testified in the trial of Keith Raniere, identified only as Sylvie. She was the first witness to testify.
Now she appears on a podcast revealing her last name.
The podcast The Truthiest Life features Surviving a Sex Cult ft. Sylvie Lloyd (Part 1), a 45-minute audio recording of Sylvie explaining her experiences in NXIVM and DOS.
The description of the podcast is as follows:
“In this first part of Surviving a Sex Cult ft. Sylvie Lloyd, we learn about the ‘cult’ called NXIUM: how Sylvie got involved, her first introduction to Keith, and how her reality was warped by his ‘teachings.’ Sylvie was the first witness to testify against Keith: she shares the humiliating story behind the trial and why she’s stayed away from the media since. She also shares why she’s sharing her story with us and has a message for all victims.
“Content Warning: Sexual Abuse
“Sylvie Lloyd is now a mother to a beautiful baby girl. From ages 18-32, she was a member of NXIUM + DOS, described as ‘an American cult that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, and racketeering.’ Her brain was molded by the teachings of the convicted Keith Raniere, and she was the first witness in the federal case. She is a powerful woman we can expect A LOT from in our lifetime.”
Sylvie and husband, John Fox, and baby girl.
Sylvie, a member of NXIVM for 13 years, starting in or around 2004. She was a protege of Clare Bronfman. They had met through a mutual friend in England.
She quit in 2017 after Frank Report revealed the existence of DOS and branding of its members with Keith Raniere’s initials.
Sylvie testified that she was “freaked out” when she first read about the branding in Frank Report, which is understandable. She was to be branded in a few days.
The revelations about DOS in the Frank Report halted the branding and Sylvie avoided the fate of having Keith Raniere’s initials scarred on her pubis.
During her years with NXIVM, Sylvie rose to the rank of yellow sash [coach] with three stripes.
*****
From her testimony at the trial of Raniere, we heard her story.
When she met Keith, her impression was that he was shorter than expected, not nearly as impressive as he had been described.
The not-so-impressive Keith Raniere
Sylvie first came to the U.S from England on a tourist visa, though she had been hired to work for Clare Bronfman at her horse farm in Duanesburg, NY.
Clare Bronfman
After her visa ran out, Sylvie went home and then returned on a J-1 visa, arranged by Clare, based on her declaring that Clare would train her in horseback riding.
Sylvie moved from England to live with Clare, who at the time only “had a room in a house in Clifton Park”. While living with Clare, Sylvie slept on the floor in Clare’s bedroom, she testified.
Shortly after Sylvie arrived, Clare decided to abandon her riding career.
When her J-1 visa ran out, Sylvie returned home and pursued a career in finance with Goldman Sachs. She also became a long-distance runner, joining the Serpentine Running Club in London.
Clare wanted Sylvie back. What convinced Sylvie to return was the promise that Keith would be her running coach – and prepare her to represent England in the Olympics.
While training her, Keith mentioned that if they were to have a sexual relationship, they would first have to become “really good friends.”
Sylvie did not pursue Raniere’s hint because, she said, he was an “authority (figure and an) older man.”
As part of her training, Raniere instructed Sylvie to take the Jness module. She did.
Clare’s suggested she take a Society of Protectors course. She refused. To help her understand her negative reaction to taking courses Raniere and Bronfman were certain would help, they instructed Sylvie to participate in an Exploration of Meaning (EM) sessions with Dani Padilla, one of Raniere’s harem.
Sylvie was convinced to take the SOP training, which she described as an exercise in humiliating women.
Under Keith’s coaching, Sylvie was instructed to train for six hours daily and run as much of that time at 12 miles per hour.
Sylvie submitted daily reports of her training, weight, and other information to Keith and Clare.
Sadly, Sylvie’s training sessions were generally deemed a failure by Keith, especially since she was not achieving the weight loss he required.
The remedy was EMs, with Dani Padilla, Karen Unterreiner, Siobahn Hotaling, or Lauren Salzman.
Eventually, Sylvie developed a massive abscess that required surgery.
Despite her doctor’s orders, Sylvie continued to follow Keith’s training schedule while she was recovering from the surgery.
*****
As a result of her association with NXIVM, she met her future husband, John Fox, a NXIVM member. They were both employed at the Knife of Aristotle, Raniere’s media analysis company.
One day Sylvie told Keith about her plans to marry John and get her “green card.”
John Fox
Raniere permitted the marriage but instructed her that she must have a platonic relationship with John for the first two years of marriage. Then, stroking her arm, Raniere said it was too bad she was getting married because she and him “could have had fun together.”
John and Sylvie wed with that agreement.
The wedding took place on July 7th, 2015. Clare reminded the bride that she was not to have sex with her husband for at least two years.
Around that time, Sylvie became a member of DOS. First Line Master, Monica Duran, invited her.
Monica Duran
Sylvie provided, as all DOS women were required, “collateral.”
Hers was a letter to her parents. She falsely wrote that she became a prostitute in the U.S.
Inside the envelope with the letter was a full-frontal naked picture of her.
She understood it would be sent to her parents if she disclosed the existence of DOS.
After becoming a DOS slave, Monica commanded Sylvie to provide collateral monthly and that each new collateral must be more damning than the previous.
In time, Monica gave Sylvie her first assignment: to seduce Keith Raniere.
It started with naked pictures – including close-up shots of her vagina, sent from her phone to Raniere furtively from her bathroom.
That continued for several months. Her father, with whom she shared an iCloud account, saw the photos.
To let his daughter know that her photos were on ICloud, he discreetly mentioned her “medical pictures.”
A humiliated Sylvie told Monica and Keith that she would not be sending any more naked pictures.
Monica commanded Sylvie to meet Keith in person.
Sylvie met Keith, probably at his executive library at 8 Hale Drive, which had a loft bed and hot tub. Sylvie and John were living next door at 9 Hale.
Keith instructed Sylvie to pose naked and then told her to lie down on his bed.
“So, I laid back on the bed, and he, I guess you’d call it, went down on me,” Sylvie testified.
Despite the sexual encounter, Sylvie told Keith that she intended to remain loyal to her husband.
“No,” Raniere replied, “your ultimate commitment is to me. I am your grandmaster.”
In March 2018, Sylvie and John moved to England.
Sylvie’s Instagram account shows pictures of her husband and child, revealing that Sylvie and John endured and found there was life after NXIVM.
Sylvie Lloyd and John Fox.
