Inside story on the woman Raniere imprisoned – and her two sisters in the harem

The original version of this article, published last night, named the NXIVM woman who was imprisoned for 18 months in a room in a house owned by Clare Bronfman – and under orders of Keith Raniere.

At the request of concerned parties – I decided to remove her name from this post.  I will call her now ‘Jane Doe #3.’  or simply “Jane.”

Many members of NXIVM, past and present, know who she is and knew it from the moment the government described her imprisonment in this case in court filings.

I was perplexed about what to do. Should I leave her named. She has been named in earlier court filings in another case. Should I simply kill the story?

After consideration, I decided to take her name off this story for no other good reason than it might give her some small peace of mind. Realizing that this case is now at the height of scrutiny, she is probably in a heightened state of concern and anxiety [as many are]. In truth, she is one of the biggest victims of Raniere – and the less her name is mentioned the better. She has told me she is trying to establish a new life where she is now living and, as anyone connected to NXIVM knows, there is always a danger lurking from the Bronfman fortune.

[As recently as a few weeks ago, I learned that Clare Bronfman was seeking to spend big money to hunt down the whereabouts of a NXIVM defector. So the fear is not mere paranoia. ]

However, the story of a woman imprisoned for 18 months by Raniere is far too important not to publish. True, It is already out there in government documents, in a previous unrelated case, and in my reporting of it – first in Frank Report – more than two years ago.  What I offer today -sans the name of the victim – is a unique behind the scenes look – from various perspectives – of a rather gruesome insiders’ view of the cult of Keith Raniere.

Finally, a woman who was also a former member of NXIVM and part of Raniere’s inner circle of harem members, has asked that I remove her name also from the post. Her name appears in an official court filing and, like the woman who was imprisoned – most insiders know who she is. I am also removing her name and referring to her now only as a Former Harem Member.

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In Keith Raniere’s bail motion, his lawyers characterize the NXIVM woman who remained in a room for 18 months as something akin to being grounded.

Raniere lawyers wrote:  [T]his supposed “long-term confinement” was more akin to “grounding” than confinement, as it was in a bedroom of the woman’s own home with the door unlocked and her family present.

Frank Report: Calling the house where she was imprisoned, Jane Doe #3’s home, is like saying Raniere’s home is the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Here is what a Former Harem Member said about it in a court filing:

Harem Member: [Jane Doe #3 was] living imprisoned in the room while illegal alien, Cami Fernandez is downstairs teaching the children [Rainbow Cultural Garden] in the same … house … And, Clare and Nancy own the house….  Cami Fernandez was the head …. teacher. [She was] Nancy’s maid, who came into the country illegally, lived there illegally, and had no education except a GED that she got around 18 years old here in the U.S. when she wasn’t even supposed to be here. And, she’s the head teacher and they’re running classes in the house with her … sister locked … upstairs.

In their opposition to the bail package  the Government writes: [Raniere] admits participation in the psychological torture of a young woman. By ordering her [Jane Doe #3] to be confined to a room for a year-and-a-half, {Raniere] characterizes her imprisonment as “akin to grounding.”

Frank Report: Teenagers are sometimes grounded for a few days – which essentially means they are not allowed to go out on dates or with friends. But Jane Doe #3 was about 26. Even if she was a teenager, how many parents ground their kids for 18 months and confine them to one room?   Jane told me she was not allowed to have any books and no television. She only had a notebook so she could write about her ethical breach.

An ex NXIVM member [not the same person as the former harem member] told Frank Report:  Marianna Fernandez is Keith Raniere’s live-in-lover who he took under his “wing” when she was brought to the United States by her parents from Mexico and left here with her brother (Adrian) and two other sisters (Jane Doe and Camellia) illegally. The story was told to the NXIVM community that [the late] Pam Cafritz (another live-in-lover of Raniere) was to take care of the Fernandez children which was a joke among the community since Pam couldn’t even take care of herself. Mariana was underage when Raniere started to groom her for a sexual relationship and most likely was underage when he first had sex with her.

Frank Report: Camila was also underage when Raniere started to groom her for sex.

In a court filing, yet another witness [and one of the bravest]former NXIVM member – turned whistle blower, Barbara Bouchey said: Two months before I quit [NXIVM in April 2009] I saw [Raniere] doing stuff with Camilla that to me was just an indication that he was grooming her. He was either already doing her or he was grooming her….  Camilla had like a girl teenage crush on him and it was ridiculous. We would be at a social event and she would have red lipstick on, a red dress, and she would be watching Keith the entire night. Going over and flirting. And, I would be like, ‘oh my god, you gotta to be kidding?’.

Frank Report: Raniere probably had underage sex with Mariana and Camila. He also tried with their sister, Jane. When she refused to become part of his harem, he imprisoned her.

The Government: This is appalling in light of evidence that …  the woman has no human contact except for occasional visits from Nxivm members who were there to make sure the woman was “healing” her “breach,” … The woman’s “breach” was having developed romantic feelings for someone other than the defendant.

Ex NXIVM: Meals were brought to [Jane] by none other than [her] brother Adrian who goes by the nickname “Fluffy”.

Frank Report: Jane’s ethical breach was she wanted to date Ben Meyers – Raniere’s main computer hacker/cheater. Ben and Jane originally got together because Keith wanted Jane to learn to be a computer hacker like Ben. But Raniere also wanted Jane to be in his harem – which meant she could not be with another man.

Ex-NXIVM member: While I was still active in NXIVM, I found it odd that [Jane] had disappeared from the community and when I asked Karen Unterreiner (Raniere’s longest lover from his RPI days and has been with him through all his illegal businesses) where [Jane] was, her explanation to me was, she was working on her breach and was being defiant with Keith.

Frank Report: Nice daughter, Clare. And nice boyfriend, Ben Meyers. He agreed to stop dating Jane.  But Jane was still defiant. She told me she had informed Raniere that, if he could have other women, she could date other men. She was ordered into the room and told she could not leave until she agreed to join Raniere’s harem. She remained there 18 months  – alone with no companionship, no phone, no TV, no books. She was brought meals and that was it.

Ex NXIVM member: Ben Meyers …  went to Keith Raniere a couple of times asking that he release her from her bondage of imprisonment. Ben Meyers is either totally blind to what hot water Rainiere is getting him into or he is becoming his evil Mimi-me.

Former Harem Member: Ben knew about [Jane’s] imprisonment….  because [Jane] reached out to [Meyers] more than once for help. And, he went
to Keith very upset ….   Keith was livid that [Jane] did this. Cause, he thought he was going to lose Ben, and … that was … a large part of the
reason why she got sent back to Mexico.

Frank Report: Although Ben might have been upset about Jane’s imprisonment – he was not upset enough to leave – or call the authorities. Ben soon discovered he could tolerate [Jane] being imprisoned. It helped that Keith allowed Ben to have another women: Michelle Salzman came by to monitor Jane’s imprisonment and Ben and Michelle fell in love while helping ensure Jane stayed imprisoned. What a great way to spark romance — NXIVM style.

Government:  [Raniere] threatened to expel [Jane], who had no legal status in the United States, from the country without documentation if she did not remain in the room.

Frank Report: Jane, like many women Raniere enslaved, was illegally in the US. Clare Bronfman helped perpetrate this fraud.

Former Harem Member: Some people were just flat out illegal like, Cami Fernandez. And some people were in the country on fraudulently obtained visas. … Clare was involved with every aspect of this.

Government: Security cameras—footage from which is in the government’s possession—were installed outside the woman’s bedroom in order to ensure she didn’t leave. When the woman finally did leave the room, [Raniere] as he had threatened, had her driven to the Mexican border and ordered to walk across, without money or identification papers.

Frank Report: Jane told me she escaped through the second story window and saw daylight and freedom several times then sneaked back in. She disobeyed Raniere especially during Vanguard Week when Raniere and most of the others were away and went outside and breathed fresh air repeatedly.

Her father – a dedicated NXIVM member, agreed to her imprisonment. Raniere told him Jane was a psychopath. Raniere did not tell her father that his daughter’s ethical breach was that she wouldn’t have sex with him. Not that this father would have cared. He believed in something higher than father-daughter bonds. He believed in Raniere. It was Jane’s father and the former harem member who drove Daniela from Albany to the Mexican border. But the father disobeyed Keith to a degree. Jane was supposed to be dropped off without a dime and no papers. But the father gave Jane  $100 – possibly so she would not starve.

What a guy.

Frank Parlato