The prison life of Raniere; the conditions he will now experience

Today is the day that Keith Alan Raniere, formerly/known/as (f/k/a) Vanguard now/known/as (n/k/a) Federal Prisoner #57005-177,  will likely find out if he gets to remain free while his attorneys try to defend him against the federal criminal charges that have already been brought against him — and the new ones that the Feds are working on right now.

So, what is this day actually going to be like for him? To find out, Frank Report consulted with some experts regarding the criminal justice system in the Eastern District of New York – and the inner workings of the Metropolitan  Detention Center (MDC), which is currently Raniere’s home-away-from home.

Here’s what we found out (More on the day-to-day schedule later):

  • 3:00 AM – A guard woke him up and told him to report to the CO’s Office within 10 minutes (Raniere was most likely being kept in the Special Housing Unit – “the SHU” – since he arrived at MDC earlier in the week).
  • 3:10 AM – A guard took him down to the R&D Unit – and put him in a holding cell.
  • 5:30 AM – A guard came by and dropped off breakfast (A styrofoam cup of cheerios, a carton of milk, and a banana).
  • 6:30 AM – A guard took him to the Dressing Room – where Raniere got a full anal-cavity strip-search and was given a red or orange “onesie” to put on for the trip to court (If the guards liked Keith, they would have let him pick out his own clothes; otherwise, they’d just do that for him without any concern about the size or condition of the clothing).
  • 7:00 AM – Two guards — or maybe two U.S. Marshals – put him in handcuffs, leg-irons, a body-chain and a “box” (The “box” holds his hands in front of him – and makes it impossible for him to move his arms). Given his notoriety, Raniere might also have been given a bullet proof vest.
  • 7:30 AM – Two guards — or maybe two U.S. Marshals – put him on the Court Bus or in another MDC vehicle – and drove him to the U.S. District Court Courthouse for the Eastern District of New York.
  • 9:00 AM – He arrived at the courthouse and was put into a holding cell with a bunch of other guys who have court proceedings today.
  • 12: 00 Noon – He’ll be given a brown paper bag that contains a bologna sandwich, a carton of milk, and an apple.
  • 1:55 PM – He’ll be taken upstairs to the courtroom.
  • 2:00 PM – He’ll be arraigned – and plead “Not Guilty”.
  • 2:10 PM – If the presiding judge decides to hold a bail hearing today, he’ll hear from both sides as to whether Raniere should be released on his own recognizance, granted bail, put on “house arrest” with an ankle monitor, or held at MDC until his trial.
  • 2:30 PM – The judge will most likely remand Raniere to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons to await trial.
  • 2:35 PM – He’ll be put back in the holding cell with a bunch of other guys who already had court proceedings today.
  • 5:00 PM – He’ll be put back on the bus (or in the other vehicle) to go back to MDC.
  • 6:00 PM – He’ll arrive back at MDC, go through Intake (which involves another full anal-cavity strip-search), and get formally processed into MDC. This will include several meetings with administrative staff, medical staff, and psychological staff.
  • 7:30 PM – He’ll be given another brown bag with a bologna sandwich, a carton of milk, and an apple.
  • 8:30 PM – He’ll be given a brown “onesie”, a pair of brown socks, one brown tee-shirt, and one pair of underwear.  He’ll also get a bed-roll that contains two sheets and one blanket.
  • 9:00 PM – He’ll be delivered to his cell in the West Tower, where he’ll learn that he’s been assigned the upper bunk. He’ll also probably find that the pillow for his bunk is missing.
  • 10:00 PM –  Count Time: He’ll stand by his bunk as the cell-block guards count the number of prisoners there.
  • 10:15 PM – Cells locked, lights out, and nighty-night!
  • 6:00 AM – Lights on, wake-up call.
  • 6:00 AM- 6:30 AM – Breakfast.
  • 6:45 AM – 7:00 AM – Brush teeth and wash face (This will be “free time” for Vanguard).
  • 7:00 AM – Settle in for a day with absolutely nothing to do…

His private cell is small and he will share it with another inmate.
Sometimes several inmates share a slightly larger cell for the convenience of the prison.
The recreational area permits for card playing and dining.

 

Recreational area. The cells are on the sides and above. There is no daylight to be enjoyed by the prisoners. But the overhead lights are left on 24/7 so that the guards can always see inside the cells. 
A close up view of a cell like the one Keith Raniere now resides in. He has come a long way from having luxury accommodations with slaves attending him.

 

Before a prisoner can leave the facility – if he is going to court, or to visit his attorney, he must first submit to being cuffed from inside his cell.

 

 

About the author

Frank Parlato

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About the Author

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist.

His work has been cited in hundreds of news outlets, like The New York Times, The Daily Mail, VICE News, CBS News, Fox News, New York Post, New York Daily News, Oxygen, Rolling Stone, People Magazine, The Sun, The Times of London, CBS Inside Edition, among many others in all five continents.

His work to expose and take down NXIVM is featured in books like “Captive” by Catherine Oxenberg, “Scarred” by Sarah Edmonson, “The Program” by Toni Natalie, and “NXIVM. La Secta Que Sedujo al Poder en México” by Juan Alberto Vasquez.

Parlato has been prominently featured on HBO’s docuseries “The Vow” and was the lead investigator and coordinating producer for Investigation Discovery’s “The Lost Women of NXIVM.” Parlato was also credited in the Starz docuseries "Seduced" for saving 'slave' women from being branded and escaping the sex-slave cult known as DOS.

Additionally, Parlato’s coverage of the group OneTaste, starting in 2018, helped spark an FBI investigation, which led to indictments of two of its leaders in 2023.

Parlato appeared on the Nancy Grace Show, Beyond the Headlines with Gretchen Carlson, Dr. Oz, American Greed, Dateline NBC, and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, where Parlato conducted the first-ever interview with Keith Raniere after his arrest. This was ironic, as many credit Parlato as one of the primary architects of his arrest and the cratering of the cult he founded.

Parlato is a consulting producer and appears in TNT's The Heiress and the Sex Cult, which premiered on May 22, 2022. Most recently, he consulted and appeared on Tubi's "Branded and Brainwashed: Inside NXIVM," which aired January, 2023.

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Contact Frank with tips or for help.
Phone / Text: (305) 783-7083
Email: frankparlato@gmail.com

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