1. Does Raniere have a passport?
There are zero reports that Keith Raniere a/k/a/ Vanguard has ever left the US, other than a trip to Fiji and India.
If Vanguard had EVER previously visited the Vancouver ESP center, or the centers in Monterrey, Mexico City, or Guadalajara Mexico, or Guatemala City, that would be well known. It is also well established that Raniere avoids all government interactions, like paying taxes, having his own name on a corporation, or even having a drivers license. It is not known if he has a passport.
A journalist will not have access to records of who has a passport. But law enforcement will have access, and could forward that information to law enforcement in other countries.
2. Did Raniere enter Mexico legally?
Entry to Mexico by air requires a passport, and going through Mexican customs and immigration procedures. Entry by private jet does not relax the rules. If Raniere is in Mexico, and Mexican customs and immigration have no record of his entry, he is in violation of Mexican law, and he can be prosecuted or deported.
Perhaps an investigative journalist like Carmen Aristigui could ask Mexican authorities if they have records of Raniere’s entry with a valid passport and proper passage through customs and immigration. Even without an extradition request from the US, the illegal presence in Mexico of someone associated with blackmail, slavery, starvation, and genital branding would likely result in his arrest.
3. Why Monterrey, instead of Mexico City?
The Monterrey ESP Center was the first in Mexico, and probably the first permanent one outside of Albany. It was Edgar Boone’s creation, and has become a family business. I think the Mexico City Center run by Emiliano Salinas eventually became larger. But Emiliano is trying to distance Mexico City from the DOS revelations, while Monterrey is reported to still be recruiting slaves for DOS.
One can doubt Emiliano’s sincerity, since unlike the Vancouver and Los Angeles ESP centers, he has not shut down and repudiated Raniere, and is trying to do business as usual. Perhaps Raniere is staying away as a courtesy to Emiliano, to give him a better chance of staying in business,, or having a political career. Certainly, having Emiliano as Presidente of Mexico would make Raniere’s future there more secure.
Or perhaps the media in Mexico City is more aware of Raniere’s history than the media in Monterrey, so it’s easier to stay incognito in Monterrey.
4. Why now?
Raniere has weathered bad press and criminal prosecution since Consumer Buyline in the mid-1990s. He weathered bad press about NXIVM/Executive Success Programs since the early 2000s. He weathered the collapse of the Tacoma Center and exposure that the inner circle of NXIVM as a sex cult in 2009. He even weathered the flight of Kristen Keeffe in 2014. She knows complete details of the criminal activities of NXIVM, because she did many of them, and kept records of the rest.
The DOS revelations of blackmail, slavery, starvation, and genital branding by Frank Report in early June 2017 are more sensational than the long history of criminality (and unconscionable civil litigation harassment) of Raniere’s cult. But Raniere did not flee.
The mainstream media picked up the story, starting with the New York Times in mid-October 2017. But still Raniere did not flee.
The revelation that actress Allison Mack was recruiting women to be branded, and was branded herself, by the Murdoch tabloids (which Frank Report had from the start, but the New York Times curiously omitted) in early November may have been the final straw that started the flight preparations.
Amusingly, the Frank Report’s statement of the date of Raniere’s flight to Mexico as “earlier this week” corresponds quite well with the airing of the “Dr. Oz” show episode on NXIVM. Kudos to Dr. Oz if that is true!
5. Who is minding the store in Albany? And who is cutting a deal?
NXIVM “President” and ESP “Prefect” Nancy Salzman? How can Raniere treat her cancer from Mexico?
“Legatus” and financier Clare Bronfman? Or has she fled to Wakaya Fiji?
Reputed DOS leader and co-head of harem Allison Mack? Or is she non compos mentis?
Reputed co-head of harem and Raniere’s baby-mama Mariana Fernandez? Or is the happy family together in Mexico?
Reputed harem wanna-bee, and reputed true DOS leader Lauren Salzman? If she flipped, Raniere would leave at supersonic speed….
Stay tuned, and be sure to keep the popcorn stocked !
Is there actually any evidence that Keith and Mariana stepped foot on FIJI? I believe there was an Instagram photo that Mariana had shared of scenery on Wakaya Island but did they actually visit themselves? Perhaps Mariana just shared a picture that Clare had posted. I believe Clare did own a private residence there before she purchased most of Wakaya Island from David Gilmour.
Wasn’t there discussion that Mariana had to leave the US and was in Canada for a spell because of visa issues?
While there are multiple reports that Clare Bronfman and Mariana Fernandez and some other ESPians have visited Wakaya Island, I do not recall previous reports in that Raniere has actually visited Fiji himself. Perhaps Mr. Parlato can give us some details.
It is also possible to be skeptical that Raniere himself visited the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala India. It is clear that the Dalai Lama was signed up to visit Albany for 4 days of endorsement of Raniere, then cancelled, then agreed to a much shorter visit (which ended up being rather critical of Raniere). There are multiple reports (Forbes, Albany Times Union) that Sara and Clare Bronfman, and Nancy Salzman, travelled to India to persuade the Dalai Lama to visit Albany. And that this involved million dollar donations. But those reports do not include Raniere as having made the trip, and only mention a single trip.
There are some reports that there was a second trip to India, and that Raniere was on the second trip as well as Sara and Clare Bronfman and Nancy Salzman. But it seems possible that there was only one trip, and that it did not include Raniere.
https://frankreport.com/2017/06/30/dalai-lama-urged-raniere-be-transparent-raniere-responds-with-dos/
“Oh. Firstly I received an invitation that, in principle, I accepted. Then I received some request that I should not go there because of this is controversial; some allegations.
Then we carry further investigation. Then finally, including this organization’s teacher, and his, some friend, came to see me in Dharamsala and I discuss, I observe, basically, they are carrying some kind of movement about ‘ethics.’ ”
This seems much more consistent with one trip to India than with two trips. “This organization’s teacher” could be Nancy Salzman as easily as Keith Raniere. And why say “teacher” instead of “leader” if it meant Raniere? It is true that “and his, some friend” does carry some implication that the “teacher” is male. But it could also simply mean that the others on the trip, Clare and Sara, were considered friends of Raniere (which is accurate). And if in the Dalai Lama’s native tongue “teacher” is masculine, saying “his” even when the teacher is female would be a natural mistake. (Google Translate makes that kind of mistake all the time).
So while the evidence that Nancy, Sara, and Clare travelled to India is strong, the evidence for a second trip including Raniere seems substantially weaker.