By Dianne Lipson
After lunch, Assistant US Attorney Moira Kim Penza finished her closing arguments in the case of the US v. Keith Raniere. During her closing, Raniere was writing madly on his sticky notes – and, lamentably, he ran out of yellow sticky notes and was obliged to write on a pad of blue sticky notes.
Penza walked through the counts against Raniere – one by one – explaining why Raniere was guilty of each one.
Penza discussed coercion, isolation, indoctrination, surveillance, shame, humiliation.
She showed passages from the DOS handbook where slaves had to surrender their life, mind and body. And she spoke of how a slave master in Raniere’s DOS could get 40 hours of free labor per week.
She said that DOS rules were that the slave labor had to be at the highest level they could work at. If a slave was a lawyer [and one DOS slave was a lawyer] that slave would have to do legal work.
Penza spoke about Nicole and the slave labor she had to do for Pam Cafritz’s memorial, something Penza said she would not have done – which included staying up 23 hours to finish it – had she not had collateral held over her.
She spoke of the abuse Nicole experienced and of Allison, of how she wrote a letter as collateral about her own father sexually abusing her, which was false information about him.
She quoted an email of Allison’s where Allison pressured Nicole, asking her, “Why are you scaring yourself? You made a commitment? It’s like an arranged marriage. It’s a choice that you made [to be a slave]. Don’t question, just obey.”
Allison told Nicole to be a good slave.
Penza spoke about Nicole’s sexual assault on the wooden table and that Keith told her she shouldn’t say anything about what happened, and that nothing bad had happened.
Penza said, “I submit he said what happened was not wrong because he knew it was very, very wrong.”
Penza brought up how the expert witness, Dr. Dawn Hughes, had said that, after a sex assault, the victim might send a nice message to the perpetrator but that doesn’t mean the sexual assault was nice.
Nicole had sent numerous messages to Keith after the assault.
Penza said, “I submit all of Nicole’s interactions with Keith Raniere were because of coercion and collateral.”
Penza also spoke about commercial sex – that it had to be for something of value but that does not mean it has to be financial.
Photos of women with their clothes off were a thing of value for Keith Raniere, she said.
There was also an email from Raniere – Penza reminded the jury – where he’s talking about India having to take off all her clothes to be photographed. And how Allison coerced India to change her flight so that the assignment [where she had to take her clothes off] could happen.
India was in the courtroom while this horror was being mentioned by Penza.
Penza said that Allison admitted that Jaye was supposed to have sex with Keith and told Jaye that sex with him was meant to heal her childhood trauma.
After completing her litany of offenses and foul deeds of the man known to his followers as Vanguard, Penza ended her closing by asking the jury to “trust your judgment, trust the evidence.”
Next up is Marc Agnifilo, on behalf of the defendant, Keith Alan Raniere.
Frank Parlato 
Janine Morrison 
J.J. O'Hara 
Richard Luthmann 
Marie White 
Paul Serran
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So what is happening with the money made from Catherine’s book? As she doesn’t deserve any money for writing it, maybe it should go to the victims
So i though it was Raniere’s trial and that Allison’s sentencing was (like for lauren) in september…Moira Penza is aware of this? i Don’t think so!
“And how Allison coerced India to change her flight so that the assignment [where she had to take her clothes off] could happen.”
Was a proof showed to court?
“Penza said that Allison admitted that Jaye was supposed to have sex with Keith and told Jaye that sex with him was meant to heal her childhood trauma.”
Did she show the proof at that moment? because i haven’t heard of this “proof” during trial…
She didn’t let Allison testify so How Allison could admit that?
Also, i repeat, is It Raniere’s trial or Allison’s?
After that people will say that Penza isn’t trying to push everything against Allison (despite the proof going against).
She is almost Killing the case against Raniere !
Hey Shadow, i think we find your wife!
And before someone telling me “she know what she say”
I remind you that at the beginning we got a ‘Allison is a great master’ , then a ‘she was first line’
We also got a ‘Allison filmed saying feel the pain for you master’ and in the end, in trial it’s Lauren’s video… But whatever…
If Raniere obtain a re-trial or be acquitted, you know who to point finger!
Incredible to see that she isn’t even trying to go after Raniere but push a lot against someone who took a plea deal (while it’s not clearly fitting the crime committed by her).
Luckily, the judge only consider the FACT while sentencing!
‘Luckily, the judge only consider the FACTS while sentencing!’
how right you are and the FACTS are enough to see KAR, Lauren and Allison all sent right to a prison of the courts choosing – Happy Days!!
We haven’t followed the same trial then…The facts show that the extortion charge is not really that applicable (not threat) and concerns only the collection.
The forced labor is absurd (as Agnifillo pointed, Nicole considered that she deserved to be paid for the 1 example she gave (reviewing the text for Pam Cafritz funeral) but thought that she should not pay Allison for the service she rendered…
At best, charge against Allison should be blackmail (and the sentence is WAY different) and seeing she was blackmailed herself…
But nice try at trolling me, just try harder next time.
Here is a fact: Tubby is going to prison for the rest of his life.
As much as I’d like this to happens, it’s not likely to happen.
If he gets 10 years, we are Lucky!
Her closing argument isn’t that convincing and Jury has to condemn him with a conviction beyond doubt (especially in a federal case! Jury has to be unanimous. If one is not convinced, it’s back for another trial)…
There is proof against him but while Prosecution could have got more REAL Witnesses, some are not doing anything for the case (Jaye’s testimony…what was it? She seem to never talk about Raniere and it’s Raniere’s trial)
They could have tried to obtain the testimony of a few more people (including Allison).
Some describe how it was Inside but Nothing fitting the crime demanded is in it.
You’re brainwashed by a cult.
wow what an argument! i’m stuck, i can’t reply to Something that …stupid.
Because i defend someone who can’t defend herself (while there is a lack of evidence for her guilt) and the fact that the prosecution push against that person (who is a victim) While barely saying anything to push the leader (Raniere) in jail, i’m brainwashed?
Excuse me but this is Raniere’s cult, not Allison’s cult!
Sane people see that in the end Allison isn’t a really important part of the cult (she wasn’t implicate until 2015 and that is AFTER she was collateralized)…
She wasn’t connected to most of the crime and the one she pleaded are against 1 person (who herself say that it’s Raniere who was threatening her).
What Allison is accused is what could have been said about India and a few others…but instead of putting time to be able to condamn Raniere, Penza is going after Allison.
While it’s useless! She has pleaded guilty, it’s done…she try to convince who? the jury has no impact on Allison’s sentencing so it’s ridiculous at best or a display of an obsession at worst.
I cannot believe in a week or so this monster (Raniere) will finally be behind bars where he can no longer harm anyone else.
“Raniere) will finally be behind bars where he can no longer harm anyone else.”
Raniere has been behind bars since March 2018.
Raniere essentially died the day he was arrested.
He will die in prison and be forgotten.
Shadowstate,
Technically he is in jail not prison and is considered innocent until proven guilty.
We of the Frankreport all believe he is guilty……
……The reality is it’s 12 men and women that will decide his guilt or innocence.
I can only imagine that the next few days will be son of the longest for Raniere’s victims.
About India: I love seeing a couple of pounds on that girl, along with the big, happy smile. So glad she did not succumb to the starvation and brain fog he imposed on her and so many others.
I have a bad thought: What if Raniere is unconcerned with his future, thinking he has had more sex than any modern man? Maybe he is laughing at everyone? Maybe his imminent deprivation means nothing to him, as he has “had it all.”
Perhaps after a few months of imprisonment, he will realize he can’t get pizza with hot sauce, anymore. Ever.
I am wondering about Prefect in terms of the first-line relationship. There is so much to that there has been unsaid. Maybe I am missing something, but isn’t she the first Rosa Laura in a way? I cannot understand how, knowing Raniere, she just ignored the relationship with her daughter. It just seems so implausible that this incredibly “integrated” woman was so incredibly hoodwinked with the EMs, long-term relationships with the major players, etc. So much left unsaid!
Her mother has an iron backbone. 20 Vanguards wouldn’t be enough to frighten her.
VanGoblin writing furiously…the he runs out of sticky notes!!!! Hahahahaha…World’s Smartest Conman.
I also think the verdict will come out quickly, and not in VanStinky’s favor. Guilty all counts. Done. Finito. Put a fork in it.
The problem for Raniere is that everything sticks together, everything matches up. The FBI agent’s testimony matches Dani’s testimony, that matches the emails, that matches the ‘tax evasion’ and ‘all cash fake scholarships’, that match up with the $500,000 cash in Nancy Salzman’s home, that matches up with the use of encrypted emails by Keith (because he knew he was guilty), that matches up with his flight to Mexico, that matches up with raping Mexican girls, that matches up with Keith’s teaching, that matches up with Nancy’s lesson that children can be raped by adults- and on, and on.
The evidence now fits together like a beautiful jigsaw puzzle. Except it is not a work of beauty. It is a foulness, a stench, a cacophony of human suffering all dreamt up at the hands of a madman. Everything fits. Did the defense even provide one expert to say that the slaves were lying? That it was all a sex game? Nope, nothing.
So, I think Vanguard, aka Keith Raniere, aka Prisoner 57005-177 will remain locked up for the rest of his days.
Yes.
This is so true, the defense has given nothing, not a single witness, not a single proof, no evidence, nothing. Just word salad to justify the millions they are paid. I think deep down they are even embarrassed as they find out what this creep was actually doing.
you’re so right!!
Well said FN!!