The frankreport is intended to be a resource for people to learn about NXIVM and its founder, Keith Raniere. The frankreport strives to be fair and provide accurate and truthful information. We have posted info about the wealthy heiresses, Clare and Sara Bronfman, who fund the organization and Raniere’s investments and litigation objectives.
On April 9, 2008, Clare Bronfman wrote about Raniere on a blog:
Keith tends not to talk about his achievements and has always kept very quiet about the people he knows. Is he money driven? Although his past businesses have put him in a profit position of over $1 million dollars a month, he did not take this money and lives in the same house he has for the last 20 years: an $80k (purchase price) condominium in a small suburban neighborhood. He lives a very simple, modest life where he teaches voice, piano and invents—he also coaches some to the top people in the world. Is he power hungry? I have worked with him on the AI festivals and my sister is on the executive board of Nxivm. Keith is respected but often can be convinced to change his mind and is at times outvoted. He is both rational and compromising.
….Keith…. is neither money driven nor power driven and always strives to do the right thing…..
He is noted as one of the 3 top problem solvers in the world and was in the Guinness book under highest IQ, 1989….
In case some of you did not know, I was ranked 12th in the US and 80th in the world for equestrian show jumping. I came to Keith for help in riding. Keith does not ride nor does he know anything about riding proper. His method of analysis rapidly uncovered things that the best riding coaches of the world could not see. My results were unprecedented.
Keith has done similar things for world class soccer players, musicians, business people, actors, dancers, scientists, weight-lifters and singers. Just because he is approachable and non-assuming do not assume he is not extraordinary.
Is NXIVM a cult? Is Keith a “cult” leader? I think not….. Nxivm is an ethics and critical thinking education program of international distinction and repute. It is not a “cult” by any definition. The prominent people of the world know this….
– Clare Bronfman
————
Let us dissect some of these comments (editor’s comments in red):
Keith tends not to talk about his achievements.
On his website http://www.keithraniere.com he lists dozens of achievements; some of them are hard to verify since he does not provide proof of his claims.
(He) has always kept very quiet about the people he knows.
NXIVM advertising boasts about famous people who have allegedly taken the course.
His past businesses have put him in a profit position of over $1 million dollars a month
It is not known if he or his companies reported all or any of this on income tax returns.
He did not take this money and lives in the same house he has for the last 20 years: an $80k (purchase price) condominium in a small suburban neighborhood.
This is true. Below is a picture of the townhouse he lives in near Albany. In the picture Raniere and his disciple, Mark Vincente, have been identified as the men standing outside.
He lives a very simple, modest life where he teaches voice, piano and invents.
Clare neglected to mention he also controls operations for NXIVM, directs its many lawsuits, gives personal instruction to a harem of women, and directed the investments resulting in the loss of $100 million of the Bronfman’s money in real estate and commodities.
He also coaches some to the top people in the world.
Who are these ‘top people in the world?” She doesn’t say. What makes a person “top” as opposed to middle of bottom? Would that be the wealthiest or most famous?
Keith can be convinced to change his mind and is rational and compromising.
His critics claim he is irrational. For example, look at his cruel treatment of ex-lovers. Or how he denied the paternity of his son. When Clare Bronfman wrote this, Raniere’s son was three years old and Raniere was lying to Clare, telling her and others that the lad was adopted and that he did not know who the father was. While he told Clare that the mother had died giving childbirth, the actual mother (Kristin Keeffe) was alive and well and working for Clare Bronfman!
Keith is not power driven and always strives to do the right thing.
When she wrote this he had recently lost $100 million of her and her sister, Sara’s money in investments in the commodities’ futures and real estate.
He is noted as one of the 3 top problem solvers in the world.
A little research shows Raniere, himself, along with a man named Dean Inada, did the study that came to the conclusion that Raniere was one of the top 3 problem solvers in the world. It was Raniere making claims about Raniere
Raniere is listed in the Guinness book under highest IQ, 1989.
Raniere was listed in the 1989 Australian edition of the Guinness Book of Records as having scored in the top three on a problem solving test designed by librarian Ronald Hoeflin. The test is not widely accepted as a standard IQ test.
Guinness included the results of this “Mega Society” test for one year – 1989 – in the Australian edition. I have reviewed other editions and did not find Raniere mentioned. He has not been mentioned in any subsequent year in the Guinness Book of Records.
In case some of you did not know, I (Clare) was ranked 12th in the US and 80th in the world for equestrian show jumping. I came to Keith for help in riding. Keith does not ride nor does he know anything about riding proper. His method of analysis rapidly uncovered things that the best riding coaches of the world could not see. My results were unprecedented.
Clare does not say who ranked her. But, when she came to him her best riding days were behind her including all of her notable victories.
What she also did not say is that, in 2004, Raniere counseled Clare that it was an “ethical breach” to abuse horses by inflicting the pain of a riding crop and that she had more important things to do with her wealth and power as a Bronfman. Clare sold or retired her horses, put her $7 million New Hope, Pennsylvania estate—with its state-of-the-art equestrian facilities—on the market, and began financing Raniere’s projects. She and her sister lost more than $100 million.
Raniere may have helped her improve her riding skills, but he also persuaded her to leave riding.
Keith has done similar things for world class soccer players, musicians, business people, actors, dancers, scientists, weight-lifters and singers.
She does not mention any names.
Nxivm is not a cult, it is an ethics and critical thinking education program of international distinction and repute.
Yet almost everywhere one looks, other than the official websites of NXIVM, NXIVM is in ill-repute.
The prominent people of the world know this….
Again, like the “top people in the world”, we get a sense that Bronfman would impress us by referring to unnamed “prominent” people (as opposed to common or unimportant people) being NXIVM members.
Keith Raniere is an epic fraud. Clare and Sara have to be two of the most naive rich girls in existence. How do you lose $100 million dollars taking the advice of this charlatan? For all they know, he could have easily siphoned some of that money into off-short accounts.