I believe Keith Raniere would not be in prison today if he had not made any one of three mistakes.
It’s funny too because he claimed to be one of the top three problem solvers in the world.
He might have gone on scamming people – having sex with a harem of women – lying about his accomplishments – cheating people out of their life savings- doing identity fraud – bulk cash smuggling – running a racketeering enterprise under the guise of a life coaching group – confining women in rooms – having group blow jobs – semi-starving women – keeping them sleep deprived – promising women to have avatar babies then making them have abortions – and fucking with all of their heads – but for three mistakes.
It was May 2017 when Catherine Oxenberg called and told me her daughter was:
Branded
On her pubic region
With Raniere’s initials.
After years of trying to get this scoundrel for all kinds of crimes, I knew this would be his undoing.
Not that it was illegal. It’s not illegal to brand a woman, on her pubic region, with somebody’s initials, if she consents.
But it shocks the conscience. It speaks to moral rot and wickedness.
Branding was easier to use to explain Raniere’s wickedness than all his financial crimes, the supposed brainwashing, cult machinations, sex perv elements, denying his own son, losing tens of millions of others’ money in commodity trades, or going after enemies with perjury – all put together.
When I reported the news on Frank Report, the cult cratered. Hundreds left. When the New York Times reported the branding, the whole world got interested. So did the DOJ. The media onslaught was sparked by the three:
branding of women
on the pubic region
with his initials.
It was the shocking concept that this rascal bastard:
branded women,
on their pubic region
with his initials
that turned the jury against him from that moment in the opening arguments when they heard about it.
He was done. Still, it took all three. Had he skipped one, he might be free today.
If he had chosen not to brand, but tattoo women on their pubic region, nobody would have cared. It’s a tattoo. It’s not terribly painful. It is not necessarily permanent. If women want to get stupid tattoos with their leader’s initials, what’s the big deal?
A cult that tattoos women – even if they call themselves slaves and masters – would not have made it to the front page of the New York Times. Indeed the Times’ headline was Inside a Secretive Group Where Women Are Branded
I submit if the story was “Inside a Secretive Group Where Women Are Tattooed”, it would not be very shocking.
Still, I think he could have gotten away with branding, if it was not on the pubic region.
If he had branded women on the ass with his initials, I think people would have laughed and called the women silly. If he branded them on the shoulder or ankle, people would have said it’s just a kooky group.
Even if they did give collateral, it’s just a brand on the shoulder.
And, besides, collateral was given voluntarily. The first collateral was given to find out about DOS. No one had to join after they learned about DOS. The second collateral was again given voluntarily in order to join DOS.
If the brand had been elsewhere – not on the pubic region which is vulnerable and makes people squeamish just to think about being branded there – most people would have blamed the stupid women who could have stopped after they gave their first collateral.
The branding could have been almost anywhere else – except perhaps the breasts or the face – and nobody would care.
A tattoo on the pubic region – or a brand somewhere else – would not be shocking and without shock, there is no outrage. Without outrage, there would be no media; without media, there would be no prosecution. [The DOJ admitted they first learned about the branding and Raniere, from the Times story.]
Still, I think, Raniere could have gotten away with branding on the pubic region, if he had not used his initials.
If the brand was the four elements or some cosmic symbol, Raniere would have plausible deniability. And the outrage would have been a lot less. People would think, “OK, crazy women got themselves branded with some mystic symbol that bonds/unites them for a sorority. What harm? The women consented. So what if it’s a master-slave group, maybe they’re just kinky?”
But the fact that it was his initials – that he marked women like cattle – as his slaves – with his brand – his initials – on the pubic region – that caused outrage. It also killed the notion that it was a sorority.
It was the combination of all three: branding women, on their pubic regions, with his initials, that landed him in prison.
Ah Raniere, if only he was a little smarter, he’d still be in business today.
Viva Executive Success!
MK10ART’s joyful painting of Keith Alan Raniere in a setting where he truly belongs.
