Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of posts that will be looking at all the unanswered questions concerning the criminal computer trespass charges that were brought against Toni Natalie, Joe O’Hara, and John Tighe (Although similar charges were also brought against Barbara Bouchey, she was not originally part of the case. She became involved because she allegedly logged onto NXIVM’s server with someone else’s credential several months after the New York State Police had raided the homes of Natalie, O’Hara, and Tighe and confiscated all their computers). Because this story is so complex, some may find it helpful to read the “Incident Report” that was prepared by Rodger Kirsopp, the NYSP Senior Investigator who oversaw the investigation (All of the quoted material in this post is from that “Incident Report”).
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Long-time readers of the Frank Report are generally familiar with the criminal computer trespass charges that were brought against three of the people near the top of Keith Raniere’s “Enemies List”: Toni Natalie, Joe O’Hara, and John Tighe. But before we take a look at some of the unanswered questions surrounding that case, I think it would be helpful to do a quick review of the pertinent facts for some of our newer readers:
– In April 2012, several members of the NXIVM cult filed a complaint with the NYSP concerning what they alleged was “…Aggravated Harassment, Stalking, and Unauthorized Use Of A Computer, Town of Halfmoon, Saratoga County”. The specific cult members who were officially listed as Complainants – and the order in which they were interviewed by New York State Police (NYSP) Senior Investigator Rodger Kirsopp – are as follows (Two of NXIVM’s top attorneys – Steve Coffey and Pamela Nichols from the O’Connell & Aronowitz law firm – attended every interview):
Kristin M. Keeffe
Esther L. Chiappone
Siobahn Hotaling
Ivy Nevares
Nancy L. Salzman
Clare W. Bronfman
Pamela A. Cafritz
Keith A. Raniere
– At the outset of his investigation, Kirsopp received paperwork from the Office of the Saratoga County District Attorney (DA) that indicated it had been investigating computer trespass complaints against Natalie, O’Hara, and Tighe since mid-2011.
– Over the course of the next few months, Kirsopp worked closely with Jesse Ashdown, the Assistant District Attorney (ADA) for Saratoga County who had been overseeing the computer trespass investigation – and with Bill Thoebe and Andy Zostant, the two Investigators in the Saratoga County DA’s office who had been assigned to the case.
– During this same time period, Kirsopp also interviewed Benjamin T. Myers and Steve Ose, each of whom described himself as “…a contractor for NXIVM”. Neither Myers or Ose ever informed Kirsopp that they were, in fact, long-time high-ranking members of the NXIVM cult.
– Another person with whom Kirsopp had numerous interactions is Mike McDermott, another member of the O’Connell & Aronowitz law firm – and the former Chief Assistant District Attorney for Albany County. On August 27, 2012, for example, Kirsopp notes that “I received a call from Atty McDermott who requested action by 9/10/12 in case the offense only rises to misdemeanor level due to statute of limitations”.
– On August 29,2012, Kirsopp met with ADA Jesse Ashdown and with the Saratoga County DA, Jim Murphy, to discuss the case. At that time, they made contact with Darren Miller, an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the New York State Attorney General (NYSAG), to discuss “…possible AG involvement for ease of prosecution and issuance of multiple subpoenas through one court” (Kirsopp’s notes regarding that request indicate “No approval at this time”).
– Over the course of the next few months, Kirsopp had several more meetings and telephone calls with Myers – who provided him with a variety of reports that allegedly showed the dates and times when Natalie, O’Hara, and Tighe allegedly accessed NXIVM’s server. Myers indicated that those reports were developed via “…a custom software script that he and Ose wrote to capture each individual attempt to log onto the (NXIVM) system”.
– During this same time period, Kirsopp also received copies of various emails that O’Hara had sent and received while he was working for a company owned by a Brooklyn, NY businessman named Jack Goldberg. Those emails came from a computer server that Nichols indicated she had received from Goldberg (Kirsopp’s notes indicate that Nichols wanted to know if she should review those emails or if the New York State Police would do so – but they do not indicate his response to that question).
– On December 13, 2012, Kirsopp was notified by ADA Ashdown that “…the NYS AG Office has declined prosecutorial involvement in this investigation citing problems with the prosecution of the case, i.e. placing suspects at the computers at the time of the unauthorized access to the computer materials”. Kirsopp also notes that he passed along that information to Nichols on that same date.
So, let’s stop here for now, and summarize what we know – and what questions we might have about the case:
What We Know:
– In mid-2011, one or more representatives of NXIVM filed a complaint with the Office of the Saratoga County DA alleging that Natalie, O’Hara, and Tighe had accessed its server without authorization.
– In April 2012, eight members of NXIVM filed a similar complaint with the NYSP. At that time, Kirsopp was assigned as the lead investigator on the case.
– For the next eight months, Kirsopp worked closely with ADA Ashdown to put together a prosecutable case against Natalie, O’Hara, and Tighe.
– During the course of his investigation, Kirsopp received “evidence” of the alleged unauthorized computer accessing from Myers and Ose – both of whom had told him that they were “contractors” for NXIVM.
– Throughout the investigation, Kirsopp had numerous meetings with – and numerous telephone calls with – Coffey, Nichols, and McDermott.
– Kirsopp and the Saratoga County DA requested that the Office of the NYSAG get involved in prosecuting the case. That request was turned down because the NYSAG thought the case would be difficult to prosecute.
– Nichols informed Kirsopp that she had received a computer server that contained O’Hara’s email correspondence.
Questions:
– Whose idea was it to have members of NXIVM file a new complaint with the NYSP several months after a similar complaint had been filed with the Office of the Saratoga County DA?
– Is it normal for a NYSP Senior Investigator like Kirsopp to meet so often with attorneys who are representing the complainants in a case?
– Why didn’t Kirsopp do any due diligence background checks on Myers and Ose – and why did he just accept all the “evidence” they provided to him without ever having the NYSP’s own computer forensic experts take a look at NXIVM’s server?
– What did Kirsopp tell Nichols when she asked him who should review the computer server that had O’Hara’s emails on it – her or the NYSP?
– How many other computer trespass cases has the NYSP been involved in before – and after – this case?
Frank Parlato 
Janine Morrison 
J.J. O'Hara 
Richard Luthmann 
Marie White 
Paul Serran
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Did you mean to link Kirsopp’s incident report?
Wasn’t the Albany Times Union reporter, James Odato, who broke some of the pedophile story on Keith Raniere earlier that year also being investigated for alleged computer trespass?
I understand Odato was the main target because he had published or used some of the information obtained from the alleged computer trespass but that NXIVM attorneys cowered from Hearst Corporation (TU’s publisher) so Odato wasn’t charged or indicted but took a permanent leave of absence. Is that correct?
You can’t make this shit up. Another left wing shitstain hypocrite bites the dust.
Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels’ attorney, arrested on domestic violence charges
LOS ANGELES — Michael Avenatti, famously known as Stormy Daniels’ attorney, has been arrested on felony domestic violence charges, TMZ reports.
Avenatti was arrested Wednesday after his estranged wife filed a domestic violence report.
The alleged incident happened Tuesday and the two had another confrontation Wednesday at an apartment building in the Century City area of Los Angeles.
Avenatti claimed during the Wednesday confrontation that his wife hit him first.
Sources told TMZ Avenatti’s wife’s face is “swollen and bruised.”
They’ve been married since 2011. Avenatti filed for divorce in 2017.
Avenatti is currently in custody, according to TMZ.
Not surprising. He always was a pimp.
Raniere’s attorneys: “Moreover, the government well knows that the overwhelming majority of women in DOS did not, were not asked to, and certainly were not required to, have sex with Mr. Raniere. And at trial, the defense will show that any sexual relationships with Mr. Raniere were entirely consensual and aggressively pursued by Mr. Raniere’s partners.”
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/NXIVM-founder-Raniere-seeks-bond-again-13392611.php
— The bond application also compares the teachings of Raniere to Socrates.
ROFL. Raniere doesn’t give one rabbit doodoo about challenging beliefs with his word salad bullshit. All he cares about is his ego being masturbated, having control, and poontang with skinny, young women. There’s nothing intellectual about wanting to have sex whenever and whoever he wants. That’s just pure hedonism.
NXIVM founder Raniere seeks bond again
Bail motion compares Raniere to Socrates
By Brendan J. Lyons Updated 6:42 pm EST, Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Didn’t Socrates drink hemlock (poison)?
Yes, it was a hemlock tree grown in Chicago and the concoction was mixed by Mack.
The judge should put Raniere with a new cellmate, El Chapo. If Raniere can teach him the ways of Socrates, then Raniere can get out of jail on bail.
“MAJORITY of women did not have to” …be raped by Raniere (or God knows who) while blindfolded and tied to a table naked spread eagle, and filmed etc., etc.”
What’s a MAJORITY? If DOS has 300 members and ONLY 149 girls were thusly branded and raped by “Raniere” that’s STILL 149 exploited girls.
Concerning the latest bail application, I mean. In reply to Albany TU post above.
“Just as Socrates challenged the young people of Athens to question sacrosanct beliefs of the time, and indeed was executed for his disruption of a closed-minded system of government, NXIVM challenges participants to question, rather than blindly accept, the fundamental content of their lives,”
Does Raniere’s defence really believe that the judge has the brains of a rocking horse? Has never learnt and understood the purpose of Socratic dialogue? Might this actually wash in the US legal system? Is it possible that there are judges whose knowledge of philosophy is so slight they could be fooled by this ridiculous analogy? WOW.
It’s doubtful Raniere’s defense believes it’s a valid argument but he, most likely, insisted it be included since he’s the “smartest” man in the world and knows so much more than his lawyer. Lol!
Confucius said… “Before you embark on a journey of REVENGE, dig two graves. Keith Raniere, Nancy Salzman, Calre & Sara Bronfman and others are now facing the affects of their actions.
They spent decades and hundreds of millions attempting to silence those who had knowledge of how evil this organization was.
Bahahahahahaha…
A very well written easy to follow article. I’ve wondered many times how a computer trespass case became such a big deal. It just never happens like this a business has a computer trespass, it’s no big deal to the cops. Rodger Kirsopp looks as dirty as can be. What cop has time to pursue a low level case like this when real crimes are happening. I’m sure we will hear more about him in the future. I hope the feds are following all the money trails.
Pea, my goodness you are definitely not on Keith’s side are you? I’m really curious about your motives. You must be laughing your ass off at the responses you elicit. I’m starting to think your on the good side. Or as I thought before just someone playing with the site.
Keith would never frame people unless they were guilty. Unlike Keith who was unethically framed by Frank Parlato and Catherine Oxenberg and they put poor Sarah Edmondson up to stealing from us. She loved her badass role in The Vow and her brand and was proud of it till they talked her into betraying us. It was the criminal product of criminal minds. Plus Joe O’Hara Toni john Tighe. All were indicted all are criminals. Is it a joke that they went into our computers? As for john Tighe if he did it Keith would never have planted images of young females on his computer unless it was ethical. He was the ethicist of a great community. But supposing he did. What was the higher ethic? Tighe is a destructive criminal. He needed to be stopped for the world to be a more noble civilization.i dont know if Ben and Steve helped stop the enemy. I have no knowledge. Exept that Keith is an ethicist. And Rodger Kirsopp is a good man. If adolf Hitler could have been stopped by someone planting so called “child porn” on his computer and he would have been arrested it would have saved 6 million Jews. (I know there were no computers back then but I just use this as illustrator. ) when does the end justifies the means? Hitler and Tighe were equal. Hitler wanted to kill 6 million Jews. Tighe wanted something worse. He wanted to destroy Vanguard and that will shape human history for all time. So if Keith out an end to his destructiveness then this is good. But the all compassionate Vangaurd also saved his life. He got medical treatment in prison
Keith would never frame people unless they were guilty
Sorry Pea but Raniere is not allowed to be Prosecutor, Judge, Jury and Executioner.
Raniere and his Flying Monkeys are about to be taught what the Real Rule of Law is.
America does not tolerate child molestation.
America does not allow the torture and enslavement of women.
America does not allow a gang of grifters to hijack our legal system and use it to terrorize people.
it seems that shadow and Pea Onyu have a symbiotic relationship and play for the same team.
Keep going Pea. You’re doing a terrific job for the prosecution team.
The alleged good goals and good intentions allow the bad deeds and are used to justify all means employed including crimes (which are denied). Everything can be justified by anything. Nothing is omitted from religions, rebirth ,karma, morals, ethics, world improvement, self-optimization, character strengthening, philosophy and so on … .And finaly comes Socrates. But I don’t think that’s the end point.
Payoff. I’ll bet.
Get detective shadowperv on the case. He has single handedly brought this evil cult down to this point
Plus he’s a superhero that you created.
Wrong!
Lots of good people who risked their lives and reputations are the true heroes of this story.
No shit sherlock. You haven’t done diddly shit. You are a fuckin legend in your own perverted imagination
And what have you one other than appropriate the name of a now passed away cartoonist?
My name is Stan Lee dipshit. Look it up in the Brooklyn white pages, skippy. I call you out on your bullshit, which is much more than you have done with your creepy vendetta.
Pot meet kettle.
Those are mere heros. I’m talking SUPERhero status.
Still want to know if John Tigue was framed for the child abuse material. If so, who did it.
Also, want is happening with “Jane” the Girls By Design member who joined NXIVM through Kristin Crook and became a DOS slave?
Superb recap – Thank you!