Eduardo Asunsolo Takes to Big Mexican Media, ‘Quien’ to Defend Emiliano Salinas

Eduardo Asunsolo, far famed as one of five members of the NXIVM-5, those hardy – some say fool-hardy – fighters for the due process rights of convicted Keith Raniere, has taken to the Mexican media – hitting the top almost at once – to not only defend Raniere but his friend Emiliano Salinas.

Salinas is the reason Mexico is even interested in the affairs of NXIVM. Salinas is the son of the former president of Mexico, Carlos Salinas.  Until the NXIVM scandal, Emiliano was a popular and attractive figure who was quietly being groomed to run for president of the nation.

Asunsolo hit the jackpot in his efforts to bring publicity to his cause, getting a large spread in one of Mexico’s largest magazines – Quien.

Quien means “Who” in Spanish.

The article is titled “La historia de los Salinas con NXIVM revelada por allegado a Emiliano y Raniere” or in English:

“The history of Salinas with NXIVM revealed by someone close to Emiliano and Raniere”

Here is an English translation of the story, by online translator and my own rudimentary knowledge of the language and the topic covered. [My own comments are in bold and brackets]

The Quien story appears without an author byline and begins:

In 2018 the NXIVM case shook the world. A few months earlier, in October 2017, The New York Times uncovered the crimes committed by the so-called sex cult and its leader, Keith Raniere, in a detailed report on the enslaving practices of the Albany, New York-based community.

[The New York Times credited me with actually breaking the story: “Mr. Raniere’s followers learned of the secret society from a website run by a Buffalo-area businessman, Frank R. Parlato Jr. Mr. Parlato had been locked in a long legal battle with two sisters, Sara and Clare Bronfman, who are members of Nxivm and the daughters of Edgar Bronfman, the deceased chairman of Seagram Company…In early June [2017], Mr. Parlato published the first in a torrent of salacious posts under the headline, ‘Branded Slaves and Master Raniere.’”]

After the publication of the article, victims criminally denounced Raniere, who was taking refuge in Mexico, and in March 2018, he was arrested in Puerto Vallarta.

After months of investigation and hearings that included the testimonies of victims, US authorities verified that Keith led a system of sexual slavery of women under a scheme called DOS, which required victims to send nude photos and other sensitive materials that could be used against them if they tried to leave the group. In addition, it was found that women were branded as a sign of belonging to the group.

In July 2019, Raniere was convicted of racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking and possession of child pornography, and in October 2020 he was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

[Raniere was not actually convicted of child pornography. This was rolled into his racketeering charge as one of the predicate acts.]

During the investigations and hearings, the names of at least a dozen Mexicans who were part of the community emerged. The most famous was Emiliano Salinas, son of former Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

Emiliano Salinas led ESP (Executive Success Programs) in Mexico, an arm of NXIVM established between 2002 and 2003 that offered workshops on leadership, human development and personal growth.

After the controversy generated by being involved with NXIVM, Emiliano issued a statement at the end of May 2019 in which he dissociated himself from the crimes committed by the association.

“I have never participated or been involved in any way with DOS. When at the beginning of 2018 an acquaintance involved in DOS decided to tell me about her experiences, I resigned and immediately cut off any kind of contact with NXIVM, this with deep consternation at the atrocities that I heard.”

[It is not quite true that Emiliano immediately quit. As secretly recorded tapes between Emiliano and Toni Zarattini prove, Emiliano knew about DOS and at first defended it. It appears that Raniere misled him to a degree on this matter, as even some of his supporters admit — particularly in the realm that Raniere misled his other followers — that he, Raniere, had no involvement in DOS.]

[Former president Carlos] Salinas’ son was described by US prosecutors as a “co-conspirator” of the NXIVM racketeering enterprise, but was not charged or required in court. Since then, he has limited his public appearances and has chosen to leave behind the media life he led with his wife, actress Ludwika Paleta.

Emiliano Salinas

Although Emiliano has remained silent, a person who was close to him told Quien what he witnessed when he was part of ESP.

This is Eduardo Asúnsolo Ramírez, who believes that the history of NXIVM achieved ‘high flights’ since it was learned that one of the most prominent leaders of the company in Mexico was Salinas. From then on, an avalanche of [negative] stories centered on him emerged, in large part because he was the son of a former president.

“Many stories confuse the ‘sins’ of the father with those of the son, so all the enemies of Don Carlos, with clear political motivations, were happy that the prodigal son was involved in such a lewd and scandalous story,” Asunsolo said.

According to Eduardo, “Emiliano is not the man that the Mexican media portray. I know this very well because I know him almost as well as Keith Raniere. I am a supporter and friend of Raniere and, although I am saddened by Emiliano’s distancing from the group of friends [the NXIVM community] … myself and most of us who still support Keith and his teachings, have warm and strong feelings for Emiliano.

“When the news of DOS appeared in Mexico, Emiliano publicly distanced himself from Raniere and that was a tragedy since the two men had been friends for more than 15 years. Keith, who is 15 years older than Salinas, was his mentor and teacher. And that extended to the entire family. Emiliano was not only a student, coach and teacher at ESP,” explained Asúnsolo Ramírez.

According to Eduardo, Emiliano’s sister, Cecilia, “was also a teacher and her mother, the former Mexican first lady Cecilia Occelli, participated in many of the courses. If anyone knows anything about the first lady, it is that she is the soul of dignity and decorum. She would never side with any kind of scandal. ”

Regarding Emiliano Salinas’ initial introduction into ESP, Eduardo explained that it was “Alejandro Betancourt, a good friend of Emiliano, who was the first to join the ESP courses with great excitement. When Emiliano was in his late twenties finishing his Harvard thesis, Emiliano decided to try the courses too. And he loved it. The emphasis on critical thinking, ethics, thinking outside the box.

“Creating wealth through independent and honest methods attracted this highly intellectual man. He then met Raniere with whom he immediately formed a very powerful bond. They used to discuss ideas, from how to bring peace to Mexico to how to examine and think about different facts and interpretations. Emiliano would use some of these lessons to finish his doctoral thesis,” he added.

Cecilia Ocelli also learned about the courses promoted by her son Emiliano Salinas and took several.

According to Eduardo, ESP “taught” Emiliano to create wealth that did not come from his family: “In that sense, he distanced himself from so many children of the rich and famous, with more money than they need at their disposal, without having to work for him, who choose a life of pleasure and tranquility, but Emiliano wanted to work and leave his own mark.

“It is possible that his father did not like this new commitment on the part of Emiliano, but it seems that, as his sister, his mother and other members of the family were also involved and loved him, his father ended up accepting the participation of Emiliano in ESP too, “he revealed about Carlos Salinas.

This led to Emiliano and Alex teaming up to open the ESP Center in Mexico City.

“Emiliano built this center without using the high-level contacts that he and his father had. He built a center where people from all walks of life came together and felt welcome. You didn’t have to be elite to be part of the center. ESP de Emiliano in Mexico City and he was never distant or above the people who were students.

“The idea that his participation in ESP had to do mainly with VIP contacts is more a myth than a truth,” commented Eduardo, who regarding the separation of Keith and Emiliano, the actor assured that “it is possible that the failure of Keith with Emiliano was the failure to provide him with all the information he needed to defend himself against the accusations.

[Eduardo admits that Raniere lied or lied by omission, leaving his student, Emiliano, in effect, ‘hung out to dry’ and get roundly savaged in the Mexican media. In fact, Emiliano’s planned political career was destroyed by this.]

“Emiliano and others whose reputations were important to them were misinformed about the details of the sisterhood, so when he came out to defend Keith, he did so with statements that he understood to be true but were not. So he parted ways from NXIVM and Keith, bad publicity and scandals led him to distance himself, “he said.

Asúnsolo Ramírez wanted to make it very clear that when Keith came to Mexico trying to restore his company, “Emiliano said he had no plans to meet with him. They never saw each other again.”

Eduardo assures that he shared experiences with Emiliano for more than a decade, but he no longer has communication with him.

It is known that after the revelation of the NXIVM case, Emiliano cut off relationships with his closest associates, including Alejandro Betancourt , one of his closest friends and his partner in the ESP project.

[Is it true that Betancourt and Salinas are no longer associates? That’s worth looking into, for besides being partners in NXIVM, they were also partnered in a series of business ventures, including Prorsus Capital.  The website still lists both men as members of the team, with Betancourt as president and Salinas as vice president. Another NXIVM member, Farouk Rojas, is also mentioned as IT director.]

Emiliano with Alex Betancourt.

Alejandro has also kept a low profile since the outbreak of the scandal in late 2017, as has Emiliano.

Emiliano’s last “appearances” were made through a series of stories and Instagram posts by his wife, Ludwika Paleta, and that of fellow actress Grettell Valdez , with whom they met in London at the end of June 2019.

 

 

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Frank Parlato

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Ice-nine
Ice-nine
2 years ago

I think keith instructed Eduardo to write this to torment Emiliano. It has all the markings of keith just being the same asshole that he was when he got 120 years.

(btw Frank stop capitalizing keith for me damn it, in DOS the subs are lowercase, and keith is most certainly someone’s bitch right now, plus I’m toying with the loyalists. Quit screwing with my mother fucking posts lol)

Sherizzy
Sherizzy
2 years ago
Reply to  Ice-nine

Ice-nine-

Or it may be Raniere’s veiled threat to Emiliano in an effort to get Emiliano to pull political strings to free him from prison. The same strings that allowed Emiliano to evade prosecution.

I doubt Emiliano will give a crap about Raniere in prison or be willing to help him be released, even under the threat of publicizing damaging information. I believe the most damaging information is already out there and his reputation is already in tatters.

The left-overs manipulative efforts are beyond disgusting. From Nicki touting her fake prison reform stance on one side and right-wing rhetoric on the other to Suneel’s continuous display of his ignorance of the law. I cannot even comment on Suneel’s nonsense anymore nor do I read his “writings”. I read the comments because most of them make me laugh… Claviger definitely has the patience of a saint. I don’t know how he does it. And, I’m not sure Suneel et al are worth it.

It’s still amazing to me that they cannot see Raniere for who he really is and that the DOS women feel empowered by being another vagina in Raniere’s harem, never valued for their substance. Or maybe, they had very little substance to begin with. I don’t even feel sorry for them anymore. Enough time has gone by to wake up. They don’t want to. It’s on them.

Ice-nine
Ice-nine
2 years ago
Reply to  Sherizzy

he could be sending that message Sherizzy – But one of the things we learned from keith is that his goal is always to torment, humiliate, and destroy. That is what he loves the most and I think he is just trying to torment and piss off Emiliano; and is using Eduardo as his stooge.

Good point though about “it’s on them.” But I do kind of like having these clowns stay loyal at this point, it’s entertaining. I hope they break away but really, wtf do I care lol, I don’t know these people.

“I know him almost as well as Keith Raniere.” – yeah right LMFAO. I think Eduardo is having delusions of grandeur. keith never gave two shits about Eduardo and barely knew his name. Now he is just a toy for keith to keep him entertained from prison.

Sherizzy
Sherizzy
2 years ago
Reply to  Ice-nine

Yeah, Ice-nine, Raniere seems to be scraping the bottom of the bucket with Eduardo, and Suneel and Nicki. The brighter ones clearly caught on and moved on.

I also think you may be right about Raniere’s desire to torture others. Imagine how pissed he is that Emiliano was never indicted! I could definitely see him wanting his twisted form of revenge.

I also feel that he may be freaking out in prison. Nicki and the bunch are getting more desperate and I think it’s because he is finally realizing he will most likely die in prison. I’m interested in what Claviger will dig up about how Raniere is faring in prison. I’m really hoping that the other inmates steal his glasses, repeatedly.

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 years ago

PR wise, Emiliano ought not to be happy about this. But I don’t think he is functioning well enough cognitively-speaking to grasp that this is not beneficial for him.

Mockery
Mockery
2 years ago

Eduardo, Mijo, you may be helping yourself to the same notoriety that many of you NX leftovers appear to crave, but you are not doing your wey, Emiliano, or his kinsmen any favors by extolling your mutual love for, and undying loyalty to, “El Diablo,” as Keith Raniere is hailed throughout Mexico.

In addition to having people killed, Keith boasted of setting “emotional triggers” like some kind of brain minefield in his acolytes. Are you still in touch with any NX leaders or is this apparent self-destruction on a time-release module?

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 years ago
Reply to  Mockery

Eduardo and Emiliano definitely had a fling that went south. Why else would Eduardo still be harping on it all these years later?

Eduardo should be careful he doesn’t piss off Carlo Salinas.

Nice Guy
Nice Guy
2 years ago

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”…

Or in this case, a guy named, Eduardo.

The last time Eduardo posted; it was about taking an incredible car ride with Emiliano. I’m not sure, but I think a certain someone has a crush (obsession) on Emiliano. What else happened on that car ride besides talk? I’m thinking manual release…

—Eduardo assures that he shared experiences with Emiliano for more than a decade, but he no longer has communication with him.

Uhm, shared experiences…like checking the car’s oil and swapping brake fluid. I have a theory that Emiliano and Eduardo may have played hanky-panky during the previously mentioned car ride. Seriously!

While else would Eduardo reach out to Emiliano on the Frank Report to begin with…

….Why tear apart Emiliano’s life any further other than to get revenge?

Hell hath no fury like Eduardo!

Nice Guy
Nice Guy
2 years ago
Reply to  Nice Guy

Now our scorned Eduardo is going to the Mexican media to screw over the man that dumped him and broke his heart. Boohoo!

erasend
erasend
2 years ago

Emiliano Salinas is going “You MFer! Way to restart the news cycle on this shit!” LMAO. Dumbass, amateur move on Eduardo Asunsolo’s part. Also pointless. Does nothing for anybody except bring up the negative stupid side of NXIVM. If they are so determined to make fools of themselves despite the fact that it’s an exercise in futility in hoping to get Raniere’s release, they should at least hire a PR person to make it go smoother.

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 years ago
Reply to  erasend

A PR person? Good idea. Say, maybe Frank can get his old job back. …I’d also recommend a bodyguard.

Shivani
Shivani
2 years ago

Raniere had the opportunity to defend himself in court. Nothing happened.

Chakravorty appears to be a straw man. Has anyone told him?

The cousin of a scarecrow, except the mouth actually moves. Yada, yada, yada.

Maybe if he dances in place long enough, the floor beneath his poor little hooves and tootsies will give way entirely, and he will find himself submerged deeper and deeper into the hellpit which Chakravorty keeps clumsily championing. Who wants to run around acting as the town crier for a filthy, mangled, failed junkyard?

There is one thing, so far, that causes me to feel grateful to Chakravorty. Enjoying wordplay very much, and observing Suneel Chakravorty has given an old word a new paint job, revivifying and highlighting the loveliness, the aptness of a two-syllable, descriptive noun.

Pipsqueak.

Ahhhh. So rich, the olden slang.

Pippa Squeaka. Tra lalalala. Oh my God, no one wants zits. Hasn’t SunHeel heard?

“Is that all there is? Is that all there is?”

Thank you, Peggy Lee, you beautiful chanteuse. Dunno what will come of this unfortunate mincemeat pie, but as long as Frank Parlato keeps helping Chakravorty out, by highlighting the contents of his mind, I guess that we’ll see. So far, it is pretty rotten. It is so good not to be Suneel. My, oh my. I’m in the mood for something good, too.

Really. Jeez Louise. Not another Manson girl, like this yammering pipsqueak, repetitively bitching and moaning for the convict, Keithie-Weethie, like a groupie caught in headlights drooling for Charlie. The tears of a clown. What a barforama.

The thrill isn’t gone. Only in Chakravorty’s case, the thrill never even bothered to get out of bed. What has sprouted instead seems to be a packet of cum-smeared remnants, dead on arrival.

anoneemouse
anoneemouse
2 years ago
Reply to  Shivani

So beautiful.

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 years ago

What does Asunsolo hope to achieve besides personal notoriety? Obviously, none of the Nxivm convicts will have their conviction overturned any time soon. Seriously, what is the point?

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 years ago

Didn’t I read on the Frank Report that he conspired to lure Raniere’s detractors and have them illegally arrested and imprisoned in Mexico?

And how was the Nxivm Center in Mexico accessible to people from all walks of life? Were the classes free?

Anonymous
Anonymous
2 years ago

Congratulations, Eduardo, you just unveiled Emi as a “big lier”. Although everybody already knew he is just a dumb fuck; nobody cares about him in Mexico.

As for Papa Raniere, he is where he belongs; he will rot and die behind bars.

About the Author

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist.

His work has been cited in hundreds of news outlets, like The New York Times, The Daily Mail, VICE News, CBS News, Fox News, New York Post, New York Daily News, Oxygen, Rolling Stone, People Magazine, The Sun, The Times of London, CBS Inside Edition, among many others in all five continents.

His work to expose and take down NXIVM is featured in books like “Captive” by Catherine Oxenberg, “Scarred” by Sarah Edmonson, “The Program” by Toni Natalie, and “NXIVM. La Secta Que Sedujo al Poder en México” by Juan Alberto Vasquez.

Parlato has been prominently featured on HBO’s docuseries “The Vow” and was the lead investigator and coordinating producer for Investigation Discovery’s “The Lost Women of NXIVM.” Parlato was also credited in the Starz docuseries "Seduced" for saving 'slave' women from being branded and escaping the sex-slave cult known as DOS.

Additionally, Parlato’s coverage of the group OneTaste, starting in 2018, helped spark an FBI investigation, which led to indictments of two of its leaders in 2023.

Parlato appeared on the Nancy Grace Show, Beyond the Headlines with Gretchen Carlson, Dr. Oz, American Greed, Dateline NBC, and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, where Parlato conducted the first-ever interview with Keith Raniere after his arrest. This was ironic, as many credit Parlato as one of the primary architects of his arrest and the cratering of the cult he founded.

Parlato is a consulting producer and appears in TNT's The Heiress and the Sex Cult, which premiered on May 22, 2022. Most recently, he consulted and appeared on Tubi's "Branded and Brainwashed: Inside NXIVM," which aired January, 2023.

IMDb — Frank Parlato

Contact Frank with tips or for help.
Phone / Text: (305) 783-7083
Email: frankreport76@gmail.com

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