Prior to taking a plea deal, Rouven went to trial in 2016. During opening statements, prosecutors said investigators found more than 9,000 videos containing child pornography on devices scattered around Rouven’s property.
Rouven later disputed the figures, saying some of the images were duplicates.
During the trial, Rouven’s attorneys cut a deal with prosecutors. He was facing up to 80 years.
His plea could have gotten him a maximum 30 years behind bars. The minimum possible prison time was 5 years.
Rouven is a German citizen and is expected to be deported after he serves his prison term.
Rouven’s manager-husband, Frank Dietmar Alfter, was named as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the case. Alfter has left the United States.
The investigation of Rouven began in August 2015 when an undercover FBI agent from Buffalo, New York, infiltrated a computer file-sharing network dealing in child pornography.
Investigators found images and videos featuring juveniles, adults and animals — on devices in Rouven’s backyard casita, his pool deck, kitchen and bedrooms.
Though he pleaded guilty in late 2016, Rouven attempted to withdraw his plea, and fired and hired various attorneys. He claimed his lawyers did not explain the possible length of the sentence.
None of that worked out for the perv magician. Away he went and for the better part of the next two decades, he is likely to remain. Since he is a sex offender, he might wind up meeting the great Vanguard – who, if convicted, may be housed in the same federal prison in the sex offenders unit.
If the eleven Mexican girls were brought from Chihuahua to New York State in 2016 with a view to having them “service” Keith Raniere, then that might constitute a Conspiracy to Sex Traffic Children.
Imagine the shock to Raniere and Company if Raniere were to be indicted on sex charges involving children, as he should be.
Most of the rapes have probably gone past the criminal statute of limitations. With the new New York state law, civil lawsuits are possible, but Raniere claims to be broke. Too bad the 12 year old didn’t agree to wear a wire years ago, a lot of the additional rape and victims of other crimes would probably have been avoided. Cowards reap what they sowed. You can’t stay quiet and at the same time expect justice to be served, it simply doesn’t work that way in the real world.
Tex2,
“Too bad the 12 year old didn’t agree to wear a wire years ago”,Tex2….. “rapes”; “could have been avoided”,Tex2
Scott are you completely divorced from reality?…..
Scott you are so far out in outer space…
…Sultan of Six seems grounded in reality.
As Ive said before the wire story is either bs or the cops were bullshitting the victim. Besides the obvious, it would have been far too dangerous let alone the liability involved if this plan would go sideways.
It would never have been approved
Sadly, 28 years ago when this child was raped, laws in NYS did not favor protecting women and children.
Domestic Violence units didn’t exist and are a relatively new tool. I know this firsthand from the late ’90s seeing women severely beaten testifying before a judge against a spouse or domestic partner and a judge saying “how do I know who actually beat you.”
It started to change after women were getting murdered with an order of protection as their only shield!
Today, the abuser is taken from the home.
You expect a 12 year old to risk wearing a wire with a man that is raping her? Keith would have a wire off her in about 30 seconds. Keith was and still is a deadly predator.
That is such a false premise. The idea of the wire was to get Raniere to talk about the prior rapes. But you insist on being helpless and victimhood, so I’m not interested in spoiling your party.
Mitch’s comment is the most logical explanation of the “whole wire story”.
I can not recall any criminal case where a 12 year old wore a wire.
Can anyone else?
Blaming a 12-year-old? Nice, big man.
There are a lot of people to blame for not stopping Raniere sooner, she’s just one of them, little woman.
Scott,
…..Scott’s meds must be wearing off…..
….Your last brain cell just died….
While I appreciate you perceive an injustice has been committed against you by Amway and you perceive yourself as having been powerless in that situation, you may wish to look into your own motives for joining an organization such as Amway and examine your own naivete that led you to stay in it before blaming a 12 year old.
anonymous, he is stuck on venting about AMWAY and needs to.move on in life, get therapy and stop annoying us and going on electronic media constantly moaning about it.
His time would be better spent on a therapist’s couch working out his AMWAY issues.
It’s not venting, it’s educating. For those who want to learn.
Educating? It’s real educational to ridicule other human beings that are suffering.
Tex,
Educating?
Tex2 are you “educating” , when you ridiculed and taunted Faith’s loved one? Faith’s loved one posted a sincere request for information regarding Faith’s disappearance.
Is that what you call educating?
tex2 you really need to stuff it faulting the victim repeatedly.
What do you suggest, have the law enforcement folks read their minds?
TeX2,
Oh boy you made another funny….
Some people actually do. make money at Amway…
Sadly you are not one of them….
Maybe you can try your hand at selling magazine subscriptions next?
Or selling yourself ? You kinda look like the “construction worker”, from the Village People…I hear tell Mustaches are still popular in certain microcosms of society.