I mentioned in a prior post that I had the privilege of informing the media outside the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse that Keith Alan Raniere had received a sentence of 120 years.
It was ironic that I should be first to deliver the news to the worldwide media of his guaranteed-life-in-prison sentence, when this was exactly what Raniere had planned for me.
How often does it happen that a guy [Raniere] backed with millions [Bronfman money] goes after another guy [me], to put him in prison and it gets switched – the accuser and his financier go to prison?
And the guy who was attacked gets to announce his attacker’s prison sentence first to the world?
In addition to announcing news of Raniere’s sentencing, I held an earlier briefing with the media during a recess of the sentencing hearing, right after the victims had spoken. Here is a video [below] of part of the briefing.
Transcript of the video:
Parlato: He rewarded my good services to him where I recovered $26 million of stolen Bronfman money by starting a criminal complaint against me.
Reporter: Against you?
Parlato: Against me. Yes. And that started our battle and while he had the Bronfman millions, I was relegated to using a blog to expose him. I think the pivotal moment came and his downfall came when Catherine Oxenberg called me and told me that “my daughter India is branded” and not just branded anywhere but on her groin in a cruel and barbaric procedure that was without anesthesia.
I think that was the tipping point. All of these financial crimes, racketeering, tax evasion and many other crimes were not really enough to solidify his criminality in the minds of people, but the idea of branding women on their pubic region shocks the conscience and that’s what began this journey for Raniere into where he stands today, with a likely life sentence.
Reporter: Do you think Clare Bronfman sentencing will stand?
Parlato: That’s a very good question. There are some good issues on appeal that might possibly overturn it. She is certainly not going to get less than the 27 months she agreed to. That was a surprising sentence because it was three times longer than the sentencing guidelines. And it was even longer than the prosecution had asked for. Which is fairly rare. Usually, the judge hits somewhere between what the defense wants and the prosecution wants. He went longer.
Report: For Bronfman?
Parlato: For Clare Bronfman, presently at MDC. Same prison Raniere is being held at.
Reporter: What about Allison Mack’s sentence?
Parlato: Hasn’t been scheduled yet. Her sentencing guidelines are between 3-5 years. But based on the attitude of the judge it may be longer. What we have in common with both Raniere and Bronfman is neither have remorse and that worked against Clare Bronfman.
Reporter: But Allision Mack has changed her tune, right?
Parlato: In her allocution, she did denounce, at least mildly, Keith Raniere.
***
Here is another video outside the courthouse — this comes via a Tweet from Juan Alberto Vazquez, a distinguished reporter for Milenio, a major national newspaper in Mexico. Vazquez also wrote a book about Nxivm entitled “Nxivm La Secta Que Dedujo Al Peder En Mexico.”
Vazquez wrote on his Tweet, “At the end of the hearing in which they sentenced #Raniere to 120 years in prison. Frank Parlato chats with followers of the guru including Mark Elliot, Nicki Clyne and Linda Chung, as they are filmed by members of the documentary @TheVowHBO.”
I said in the above clip, “People know that primacy and recency are two of the big factors” that can influence a jury.
This was part of a broader conversation I was having with Linda Chung, Nicki Clyne, Brett Diamond, and Justin Elliot, followers of Keith Raniere, about how federal trials are slanted against defendants. I said that the 97 percent conviction rate in US federal cases compares favorably to the worst fascist dictatorships where there are no jury trials. US prosecutors have almost completely coopted the system.
For instance, at trial, the prosecutors’ table is closer to the jury so the jury can see, hear and get to make eye contact with prosecutors throughout the trial. I would love to see the defense and prosecutors alternate at the closer table. I want the jury to see me up close so they can judge me properly.
Another serious breach of fairness is that the prosecution gets to make the opening remarks of the trial first and the closing statement last.
When closing remarks are made, the prosecution makes a closing argument. Then the defense makes its closing argument and then the prosecution gets a second bite at the apple and gets to make the final closing argument in reply to the defense and tries to undo everything the defense says, leaving the jury with the last impression of the prosecutors.
The jury hears the prosecution first and last in the trial while sitting almost in their laps during the trial.
This is an insult to justice. If the prosecution opens, the defense should close. And I was explaining that the “Primacy/Recency Effect” is the observation that information presented at the beginning (Primacy) and end (Recency) of a learning episode tends to be retained better than information presented in the middle.
I would also call it ironic, that the followers of Raniere and I could engage in civil conversation. While we don’t agree on Raniere, we agree on the need for due process for everyone, even Raniere, it is proven he didn’t get it.
For the moment, the followers of Raniere set aside their distrust and anger for the man they believe destroyed their community. One after another follower told me that I destroyed something beautiful – the Nxivm community – and that people hid and ran away for fear of being outed by the Frank Report. People lost jobs, careers were ended because of the online record it created.
I explained I was trying to break up the cult and that it was necessary for Keith was made more powerful by his supporters. I wanted to scatter them to the four corners of the earth so that Raniere would stand alone.
At the trial of Keith Raniere, witnesses testified that Frank Report, breaking the story of the branding, led to people leaving the cult. According to HBO’s The Vow, Nxivm members said it created a panic., a branding session was canceled.
Hundreds of people changed their minds about going to Vanguard Week. The cult was already in pieces when The New York Times published the story that prompted the FBI to start investigating Raniere and Nxivm.
It was irony, therefore, that I got to both announce Raniere’s sentence and discuss in a friendly way with his devoted followers Raniere’s due process rights – all within an hour of Raniere hearing his fate of life behind bars.
O brave new world, that has such people in it!
You are a very good person, Frank! Thank you for putting him away forever!
Must be a great feeling, Frank.
Raniere’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, has been quoted recently saying that Keith “made a mistake” and while he was apparently referring to the branding, “he made a huge mistake fucking with Frank Parlato” was my very first thought.
Congratulations, Frank! You got him.
Fantastic irony!
Congratulations!
Actually – Even if I learned about the story through the branding because news Paper here in France never published anything about the cult before that – I am more shocked by the brainwashing, evil use of PNL, manipulation, sex abuses, than I am by the branding.
I think all those psychological abuses have done way more harm and will be much more harder to erase than the brand. The brand itself wouldnt be an issue without all the rest. It wouldnt even exist in fact.
Not to publish. Follow purpose
Allison Mack will, I suspect, get about a third of what Vanguard got. And probably an additional charge in the Northern District of NY.
A few thoughts…..
The Nxivm saga is on the surface a simple story of good vs evil. Then you scrape away the outer layer and things get murky and muddled. Victims can be villains. Heroes can be flawed. Vendettas can bring justice. Lastly, do the ends justify the means?
I all know is that, at the end of the day, the right man is in prison. The End.
BTW: Frank, you look great and come across well on tv. You got presence, kid.
Well earned accolades! Congrats on years having to bear your own torture and putting this man away!
For the Nxivm 5 Frank, what was their mood? What questions did they ask you? and do you expect to communicate with them regularly?
Now that Keith has legitimized you, albeit as the enemy, this may be your way to turn them. Perhaps that is what you had planned all along in your 12 moves ahead chess match.
Also, congrats. It’s easy to see how much pride you have today, as well you should, you have earned it.
I hope allison and the other women have already started writing their speeches about how Raniere abused them. They should be going back through their memories and making a list of every single time he treated them like crap. Every single time. Whether it was emotional abuse, being tricked into thinking they were his only partner, being told that love is pain and you should suffer for those you love, being told to restrict their calories. Everything.
If they can find text message exchanges, even better.
Frank, the feat you accomplished is incredible, because of the nature of the crimes involved.
These weren’t “violent ” crimes like Manson. They were emotional, they were psychological, they were–until the brand–invisible. Each separate insidious piece seemed not to violate the human conscience. The hard part was pulling them all together and piecing the grand scheme together, in the absence of a bruise.
Although Raniere used general patterns, of subjugation there was subjective influence utilized on each separate victim. Raniere knew how to capture each victim individually. It was cunning at the highest level, but also it was a devious skill set he
must have thought serious about and took time to ponder. How do I bring in beautiful women ( theater and Mexico) and turn them into my sex slaves?
It’s always easier to shed light on a crime when there’s a physical wound, but this rascal hid behind the cloak of Women’s empowerment.
The physical bruising finally appeared in the form of a brand, where the victims were labeled as being owned by their Vanguard, no different than a gym shirt with a label on it. But this label can’t be washed out. How horrible.
But I cant help but think there’s parts to this story that were not yet uncovered, and may never be…… Not to mention the psychology of why some people fell for it, and others knew enough to laugh and walk away.
Yes, and most cults evade trials because of the problems over consent of those involved – very hard to pin them down – Scientology is good at avoiding liability. KR should have said no to any branding as soon as it was mentioned to him as, just as FP says to one video posted today, it was the branding that gave the prosecutors something material on which to pin the perfectly rightful prosecution. Just as Warren Jeffs of the FLDS could get away with 80 wives and much else but as soon as it was a 12-year-old – that the crime on which you can pin the rest/bring the abuser down.
As for why some people fell for it whereas had I seen silly scarves, expensive courses, stupid names like Vanguard, I would have been laughing so hard as I ran from the room – some people seem to have been at a crossroads in their life or with problems – so that tends to be when cults get them best.
Heroic Frank, I love the Jacket, a very nice piece of schmutter indeed, I thought at the first picture, it had a self-stripe, but now I see its a check, beautiful garment, carried off with great style, also good choice of tie.
There’s a lot of difference between the U.S. judiciary and mine. Now I’m surprised. I already knew that the perpetrators of crimes are strictly measured in America, but I don’t know if the D.A.’s office enjoys a preference for speeches.
We don’t have a jury, we don’t have so-called civilians involved in the decision-making. In their place, a three-member court will judge. A judge who leads the meetings, the negotiations, and two sit-ins next to him. The investigative and judicial sections are represented by two prosecutors, the Attorney General and the Deputy Prosecutor. They’re on an equal footing with defense attorneys at trial.
True, the D.A.’s office always gets a word from the judge first, but only until the indictment is told. That’s what the plea follows. They may ask for the same floor during the hearing. Prosecutors never close the trial.
Prosecution representatives and the defense sit opposite each other in the courtroom, at the same distance from witnesses and audiences.
Yet there are large numbers of exonerator convictions.
I’m happy for 120 years on Keith, because here for these crimes, he would only have got eight to 10 years.
Your statement/announcement, Frank, reminds me of some kind of Higher World work of the struggle between good and evil, at the end of which KARMA appears. You gave the Monster exactly what he wanted for you. Bravo.
So, Frank, how long before we can expect your book on this matter? I will eagerly pre-order.
Get in line. I already asked for a first edition hardcover autographed copy.
*********
Rumor has it Bangkok wrote the foreword.
I am taking my time on this because there is the importance of getting the story down truthfully. While Frank Report was always on a “get it right and get it fast” basis, fast always means chances of errors. I will certainly announce it when the book is ready.
I can imagine that was all rather surreal to think back three or four years ago to this day. It’s quite an amazing journey. Congratulations, Frank!
Interesting where common ground can lay, even with hated people perceived as enemies.
It is also interesting that the prosecution made a closing argument before the defense and then after. I did not know this.
Congrats, Frank! Great interview
Thanks, Mexican Lady.
It was quite amusing to just have noticed you, Frank, in footage at Global News. The clip is of Nicki Clyne and what looks like her new pilgrim wife, Michele Hatchette. That was irresistible, so meow and pardon me.
Surrounding the couple are the fellows like Suneel, and one is speechifying about how terribly unjust Raniere’s brand new sentence is, to set the scene.
All of a sudden, Frank, you walked into view. You were walking behind the lamenting, unhappy culties, and you turned and gave them a look like out of The Godfather. Classic.
There is even better footage of you, walking around and taking a picture behind the Clyne lineup, wind-up production, and it’s at Bloomberg something or other. That guy who was spending $$$$$ to not really be POTUS. Good footage, in case you all archive Parlato coverage.
What a great interview. Congratulations, Frank.
Great point that branding in the pubic region shocked people. The rest of Keith’s crimes were hard for people to understand.
Very inspiring story, Frank. Congratulations. Also so scary to think about: a billionaire against you, and nobody really cares. I was just thinking that Daniela felt that too. Nobody cared if she wasted her life. Very courageous battle.
Would love to learn more about your mindset through all of this.
Kudos!
“Instant karma’s going to get him, if I don’t get him first” – U2