Judge Rules for Prosecution – Victims Can Speak at Raniere’s Sentencing Without Revealing Names to Public

This is going to open up Pandora’s box – and the line may be out the door – at Keith Alan Raniere’s sentencing.

The lineup of victims that is – who will come to speak to the judge prior to him sentencing the criminal leader of Nxivm.

The judge – Nicholas G. Garaufis – has ruled that victims can step forward and tell the court what Raniere did to them – without having to reveal their full names to the public and the media that will undoubtedly be in attendance for this – what will be a marathon event.

The judge had to make a substantive decision – for,  quite frankly, if he ruled the other way – that victims had to reveal their full names – – that instead of perhaps more than a hundred victims coming forward to tell tales of horror – there might have been only a handful.

The ruling also applies to other Nxivm defendants.

However, please note that only Kathy Russell has been scheduled for sentencing – January 28. Clare Bronfman is tentatively scheduled for February 14 – a date that will likely be postponed.

The other three defendants – Allison Mack, and Lauren and Nancy Salzman – have not had sentencing dates scheduled – which has inclined some – including this writer – to speculate that they may be witnesses in an ongoing investigation into the many high crimes of the Bronfman-Raniere criminal enterprise.

The judge’s ruling was fairly brief – and here it is in full:

On December 19, 2019, the Government moved this court:

1) to permit victims who provide victim impact statements either by letter or in open court to do so without publicly revealing their names or other identifying information; and

2) to require the parties to treat victims’ identities, impact statements, and declarations of loss as “Victim Discovery Material”
within the scope of the protective order entered on August 2, 2018. (See Dec. 19, 2019 Letter Mot. to Designate Certain Information as Victim Discovery Material (“Letter Mot.”) (Dkt. 820) at 1; Protective Order (Dkt. 85).)

All Defendants except Keith Raniere consented to the Government’s request. (See Letter Mot. at 1; Jan. 10, 2020 Letter from Keith Raniere in opp. to Letter Mot. (Dkt. 836).)

As Mr. Raniere is aware, the court already granted a nearly identical application from the Government permitting victims to testify under pseudonyms at his trial because, inter alia, Mr. Raniere failed to identify a particularized need for this information to be disclosed in open court. (See Mem. & Order (Dkt. 622) at 29-34.)

The court has reviewed Mr. Raniere’s supplemental submission in opposition to the instant application and can identify no compelling justification to deviate from its prior holding. This is especially true because Mr. Raniere will be provided with the identity of any victim whose submission or testimony the court may consider at his sentencing.

Accordingly, the Government’s motion is GRANTED.

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In the meantime, Raniere waits in federal custody at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center. Sometime after he is sentenced he will be moved to what will likely be his permanent prison – with one possible exception:

If there are going to be new charges – with a new indictment against him – and likely others – he may remain in MDC or at some other convenient facility. For instance, if the trial is going to be conducted in Albany – then he may be removed to a prison closer to Albany – and that might include being held in Albany County jail.

We have some reason to believe [or hope] that a further investigation is ongoing and may or may not lead to further charges. It seems apparent that the primary thrust of any new investigation is not so much to merely charge Raniere with more charges.

He is already going away for a long time. The new investigation – or rather the continuing investigation that began in November 2107 – that and has already led to six convictions and may lead to new charges – seems to be to see if the net can be widened a little more – to take in the dozens of other criminals involved with Raniere – with, I believe an accentuation on the big fish – not the small fry [as in seizures and headlines].

In the meantime, those interested can keep track of where Raniere is being housed by taxpayers by going to https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ – and entering his name (Keith Alan Raniere) or his BOP Register Number (57005-177).

One Frank Report reader suggested that Raniere might be assigned to a special treatment prison in Arizona.  We doubt very much Raniere will get assigned to that prison. However, we do believe he might be assigned to the supermax, underground facility in Colorado.

Either way, his life in MDC will seem like a golden vacation compared to where he is going to wind up permanently.

Just as much as his old life as the Vanguard was idyllic compared to where he is now.

Such it is with the teachings of the Vanguard – things continually go from had to worse.

Meantime, plan to get in line and get to court early – 6 am might be a good to arrive if you want to be in the main courtroom – instead of the auxiliary one with the TV monitors – when the date is finally set for Raniere’s sentencing.

I expect it to be in March or April. It will be a really big show – watching the many victims come forward with brand new information about the monster’s predatory behavior and how it ruined their lives.

Frank Report will provide coverage.

There is no rush really to set a sentencing date for Vanguard since any time he spends now waiting in custody will count as time spent towards his eventual sentence.

Viva Executive Success!

Frank Parlato