Jim Del Negro, a long time NXIVM coach, and one of the leaders of the Society of Protectors, died last night in Mexico. He was 54.
Here is what a source told me:
“Jim traveled to Mexico to get alternative treatment for a heart condition and was with Wayne LeBaron of the Lebaron Mormon community in Mexico. He went to an alternative clinic. I believe he had a wisdom tooth infection and for some time had been suffering from A-fib issues. He was hoping to get well and be back in top fighting form again.
“When he showed signs that the infection was worsening and was growing more painful, it was recommended he go to a regular hospital.
“With his typical attitude of always being more concerned about others than himself, he sadly did not pay enough attention to his own painful condition. He brushed it off saying he did not feel sick enough to warrant hospitalization. He would stick it out and bear the pain.
“It turned out to be far worse than he expected. The infection was a cyst that went septic and by the time he was prepared to be hospitalized, it was too late. He died quickly and all of us are saddened at this sudden loss of a good friend.”
It has been published elsewhere that Keith Raniere advised Jim not to get standard medical treatment, but, my sources tell me that Jim had not been in contact with Raniere for months and the story is, therefore, untrue.
Jim was born in Gloversville NY and worked most of his adult life in the Albany area. After NXIVM collapsed, Jim worked as an independent sales agent for an insurance company and for a time continued to offer life coaching consulting services, something he had done with NXIVM for about 16 years.
Prior to becoming a teacher for Executive Success Programs, Jim worked as a mechanical engineer, where he worked in the fields of cable television and the energy industry for over 15 years.
Jim also owned a tutoring franchise where he helped children from the ages of kindergarten through high school to do better in their studies.
He was brought up in a Catholic family and community – and was a firm believer in the U.S. Constitution and the principles put forth by the founding fathers of the USA.
He said on his Twitter account, “My mission is to discuss and debate the virtue and ethics of freedom and humanity over the delusion of safety and security.”
He was a longtime companion to Esther Carlson, a NXIVM proctor, and it is believed his parents, Daniel and Jackie Del Negro of New York, are still living. He has no children of his own as far as I know, but he helped raise Esther’s children.
Jim spent about 16 years with NXIVM. He was often tapped to teach intensives for VIPs and was known for presenting an interesting and dynamic class.
He was introduced to Executive Success Programs at a one-day seminar hosted by the Saratoga Springs, NY Chamber of Commerce in 2002.
“I experienced a profound deepening in my understanding of morality and ethics at the seminar,” he wrote of the experience.
He signed up for the 16-day training and soon left his career as a mechanical engineer and became a full-time coach and trainer for NXIVM. He also participated as both a client and coach in many of the companies related to Raniere, including the Society of Protectors where he was a member of the High Council.
He remained a staunch supporter of Keith Raniere even after his arrest and wrote a letter to the judge seeking leniency for him prior to his sentencing.
“The reason I valued his [Raniere’s] programs so much is that I experienced positive, lasting changes in my behavior and my experience of my life. I became less fearful and more understanding of people as a result of participating in his trainings. Ultimately, I experienced more compassion and built my empathy for others,” he wrote.
“The reason I have put so much trust in Keith is that he continually and consistently demonstrates the traits of virtue,” Jim wrote.
Jim’s view of the Society of Protectors was also vastly different than the opinion of many of Raniere’s critics. The men’s group of NXIVM “transformed my life and how I would approach my goals in the future, to not cut corners, to keep my integrity and do the right thing regardless of the material cost,” Jim wrote.
As for Raniere providing Jim with medical advice, Jim told a story of how he suffered from a severe pain in the bottom of his foot. Keith recommended a certain exercise and his longstanding pain went away in two months. Jim was profoundly grateful yet praised Keith’s humility when he told him he was sorry he had not noticed his affliction earlier.
The last time I saw Jim was in late October 2020. He was in New York City for the sentencing of Raniere. I had not seen him since 2008 when he worked closely with me in Los Angeles.
We had good and successful times in Los Angeles but certain things occurred which caused our separation. I had not been too kind to Jim in some things I wrote about him in the intervening years, after I went to war with Keith and Clare Bronfman.
This is not the place to discuss these matters, but when I saw Jim, a dozen years had passed, and he was with about 20 Raniere supporters. I was alone. Perhaps he might have taken advantage of the opportunity to be rude or tell me I was wrong. To show off in front of a group of people who had come to know me as an enemy.
But he acted as he did when we worked together, as a friend of mine. Except, he was older. He had matured and it seemed to me in a good way. He had greyed in a way that showed he had seen pain and become more understanding.
We spoke as we had previously spoken, with the same congeniality that we knew when we worked together.
After the meeting in New York, we spoke a few times on the phone and he sent me an article about freedom of speech and the US constitution which I published. It was a topic we both agreed on and a fitting end to our relationship.
We were friends once – then we abruptly ended our association for various reasons and were in a sense adversarial. Then, less than a year before he died, we met again.
And I got to see the good in Jim again. Like I saw in him when he was a bright, young man in his late 30s when he worked for me. And I also got to see how others in the little, remaining NXIVM community looked at him, like a beloved uncle; like he was everybody’s friend.
They tell me he never had a bad word to say about anyone. Never thought badly of any of his friends. Always looked out for them, always praised them to others. He saw only the good perhaps, even only good in someone such as Keith Raniere, a view I do not share, but that does not make my memory of him as that of a fool. We see in others what we are ourselves.
I am glad we had the chance to meet again and offer each other a chance at friendship shortly before the curtain closed. May he rest in peace.
Frank,
Your comments and eulogy about Jimmy are not only incredibly graceful but perfectly capture the person that Jimmy was. While most here on your site may only know Jimmy through the events that have unfolded through the last few years, as someone that has known him for over 35 years I can attest to the kind of person Jimmy was, and you perfectly captured it. When you really consider Jimmy’s entire life work, as you have here, you can really see what Jimmy’s intentions were through his entire life – he consistently believed in the best in himself, his friends, his family, and even strangers. He attempted to dedicate his life to the betterment of his community, himself, and anyone he could try to reach. Like so many others, he inspired me and taught me so much through our long-term friendship and was like a family member to me – he was a glowing presence and had an incredible sense of humor that was infectious. Thank you for your great perspective on Jimmy’s whole life’s work, I know that you really touched a lot of his close friends and family.
Very astute, M.L.
Yeah. Jim also accused a woman of raping him.
I guess some dudes get a pass and some ladies get treated like ass – in death.
RE Jim’s Cause of Death:
I am posting this because what killed Jim also killed my grandmother.
A dental infection along with a heart condition together make a perfect storm. Dental infections can lead to sepsis which can lead to heart disease or death in otherwise healthy individuals.
Jim had heart disease and a dental infection. The two together spell death for any healthy individual.
Please read the following:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4474734/
Dental infections can quickly lead to sepsis in young health people.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12361-sepsis
I wasn’t going to post out of respect to the dead, but Jim died a senseless death. No one should ever die from a completely treatable ailment in the 21st century.
TRIBUTE ARCHIVE
BROUGHT TO YOU BY COMPASSIONATE FUNERAL CARE INC.
James Joseph Del Negro II
Saratoga Springs, New York
January 18, 1967 – August 30, 2021
Recommend James’s obituary to your friends.
Obituary
James Joseph Del Negro II, age 54, passed away on Monday, August 30, 2021.
Family and friends may call from 2 pm to 6 pm on Friday, September 3, 2021 at Compassionate Funeral Care, 402 Maple Ave., (Rte 9 and/or Marion Ave.) Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
A mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 am on Saturday, September 4, 2021 at the Church of Saint Peter, 241 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
A graveside service will be held at St. Peter’s Cemetery, 150 West Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 following mass.
A full version of the obituary will be updated on Thursday, September 2nd.
https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/22193303/james-joseph-del-negro-ii
I’m thinking the appropriate fate of the majority of the NXIVM brass involves supporating pustules.
Rest In Peace, Jim.
Frank, what are, if any, the standards and procedures for an SOP member? Is there any way to join and if so how much? Thanks.
P.S. Please tell Nice Guy and Shadow I said hi.
I believe that SOP is currently defunct or inactive. I recall that the monthly membership was marginal – perhaps $50 per month and that there were retreats or weekends where new material was presented, sometimes by Keith Raniere himself. These weekends were more costly and may have been more than $1000 per attendee.
I seem to recall one SOP weekend that had about 104 attendees and some $150,000 in tuition which Raniere himself was going to teach. I think the year was 2014 and I believe he canceled it after the retreat had started which caused some consternation. The subject of the weekend was “keeping one’s word.”
What a bunch of cucks. Instead of SOP it should’ve been called SAP. As in what a bunch of saps.
These guys sat by with their thumbs up their asses while their Vanguard bedded all the women in the group. Sometimes the women were their wives no less. And they paid him for the privilege!
The very definition of cuckold!
So one of these idiots dropped dead. So what? I mean really, this is not the stuff of tragedy. Rather its opposite: this is comedy. He lived as a fool and died like a fool, believing in his own nutty theories to the point that he died of… toothache!
What a f*ckin’ genius.
It’s like one of those videos where the smartass kid tries to ride his skateboard down a railing, does a banana split and crushes his nuts. Always good for a laugh!
Yes, I know I’m terrible. For being honest. For laughing when some fool gets his comeuppance. This does not fit the temper of the times, when comedy is “problematic” and everyone is fragile.
There is I think a George Carlin video where he expounds on the uncomfortable idea that we really don’t have to care every time some random asshole kicks the bucket. He spoke the truth and that made him a comic genius. He is a man deserving to be mourned.
Not some cult following fool too stubborn to go to see the dentist
Hi Peaches!!!!
We miss you Peaches!
Thinking over the abruptness of passing from here and unto bodilessness, or so we often conceive death to be. Also it appers that Jim’s parents might have outlived their son, and almost nobody rests easily when their child dies, and the parents can feel so torn asunder.
So it brings to mind an 8ncredibly strengthening old sonnet, Holy Sonnet 10 by John Donne, (1571-1631) as one that has helped me so much, Death, Be not Proud.
Death, be not proud, though some
have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are
not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou
dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst
thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy
pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee
much more must flow,
And soonest the best men with
thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s
delivery.
Thou’art slave to fate, chance,
kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and
sickness dwell,
And poppy’or charms can make us
sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why
swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more;
Death, thou shalt die.
So, the Divine Comforter is being sent to everyone who’s hurting. Sincerely. From another dreamer.
Incredibly. Whoops, as usual.
Jim was a family friend and was a loving and kind man. He came from an amazing family and his parents are alive and well. This tragic news does not need sensationalism and judgment!
This is a thoughtful eulogy. I’m surprised you’d say these things about someone you’ve written badly about, but on the other hand, I’m impressed you settled your differences. I think it’s important to honor the dead.
I’m with you on this one, Mexican Lady.
Never a sparrow falls.
I remember to remember this always, for it struck my heart and mind so very deeply, from the very first moment of me, as a small child, learning and imbibing these words, lucky to be born and also, to be born to a marvelous and a sincerely searching dad, who pointed within to find truth, to explore every adventure, every judgmentality, every tragedy and every joy. An unforgettable man!
There will never be enough ways (for me) to thank my father and first teacher, right from infancy.
For me, my dad has never died. Not at all. Only his beautiful voice and his beautiful eyes have gone elsewhere, but he has never left me. (He “died” in 1979 yet he’s still here alive within me.) This IS eternity, a zone of its own, and one that is completely unimpeded.
Yes. Bitchy or sweet, creative or destructive, all experiences are temporal, temporary, and we just keep on watching, watching and also doing, and if we’re lucky and are also paying real attention, we do keep expanding, growing, learning. “The flight of the unknown to the Unknown” is here and now, whether seen and noted or ignored and left unexamined.
So the world, as we live and as we die, is a small whirling School to me, at least. Here, all are students. Material is the densest form of matter yet is still beloved by someone and by Someone. Who? I ask myself, who? This very “Who” is limitless. This Who is perception perceiving itself. Nonstop, unstoppable.
Now. What about now? Is now a movie? Who is the projector? Who is the witness? Who are the actors? Is it all one? Who is the questioner?
Let us not miss what is now, even as we ponder what’s historical, or seemingly of the past. Seemingly the past and seemingly the future! There are many, many mansions, dimensions, and all are ponderable. Now and always.
So. I keep the words of light and of compassion and intend to remain one with these words unceasingly, whilst still allowing myself full permission to examine the contents of thoughts and words, of actions. My own, most of all. It’s inherently a duty of being alive. To be responsive to one’s own “miniscule corner picket” of ultimate responsibility and not to dream that one is the judge.
Criminality too can be seen as a phase, and so can ignorance be seen, detachedly, and yet simultaneously, with all of one’s heart, as a piece of the full orbit, the very revolution of what can appear as paradoxical, oppositional.
Knowing and not knowing, paying attention and not paying attention. It’s all happening, whatever consciousness is really being applied either as “groups,” or individually. Asleep or awake.
Yet even our breathing is in many ways involuntary, and if one looks with a long view, we see that life and the art of living cannot be rehearsed. Not really. Most people do not study calmness or joy, or we all would enjoy both of these qualities so incredibly much more.
Jim Del Negro has gone bodiless, in part due to an infection, which was probably treatable, but Jim ran out of time to restore his health. Some are mourning him with heartfelt remembrances. These are the ones who I care about respecting and to whom I send condolences. These are the ones not to harm here and now, no matter eho they are or whether any if us reading here know the ones who are hurting or not. It is that simple, to offer respects and everlasting arms of natural, humanistic kindheartedness. There is no excuse to add to anyone’s pain.
What do we know about Jim’s dimension now? Everything and nothing? What do you know, and what do I know?
Remembering Lao-Tzu: “To know that you do not know is the best. To think you know when you do not is a disease. Recognizing this disease is to be free of it.”
This can only happen if we are dedicated to, moment-by-moment, relentlessly examining our very perceptions, our individual thoughts and feelings.
I start with my face in the dirt regardless of whatever is exterior. Knowing and not knowing. The slug can be Someone’s sweetest earth angel. Who can say?
For me it is crucial to remember the great mystery underlying and overcoming all of life. Never a sparrow falls explains a deep worthiness residing within all segmentations of life, which can be respected and which indicates profoundly that life, in and of itself is, can be and always will be a precious treasure to Someone.
Who is Someone, if not everyone?
So again, never a sparrow falls without Someone giving tribute, Someone who is not asleep at the cosmic wheel, who is free of mental judgments, who feels the very heart of ALL matter and as well, of every transitional phase. We are meeting matter head-on, heart-ON. As we think, as we feel, we amend our own destinations and destinies, one by one and as a whole as well, an entirety so vast. So slow, so fast. Unconditionality is not just a remote or definitionless word. We define it with every breath
Now, for Jim and his loved ones, it is best to be wise and to be offering the simplicity of one’s personally heartful kindness, and especially to any of the genuinely intimate ones, who really feel the pain of not seeing Jim or of hearing his voice anymore.
That includes Esther, even she. I say “meow”- a full-throated meow. Here’s to life! Even to Esther, for she is Someone’s sparrow, too. Edith Piaf was called the little sparrow, too.
Now I insist upon keeping the senses of faith. Nothing else will help but the wildness of the untameable wind as she or he blows with such immediacy, spontaneity.
What is love? Who is alive? I “do not know.”
Thank you, Shivani, for this beautiful message.
This was a thoughtful post, Frank. Although Jim and I had differing views on Keith…I always enjoyed working with him and he was a kind and loyal person.
May he rest in peace.
If you are meaning to honor his passion, I would consider not posting comments that are the opposite…just sayin’
Treating members of NXIVM with compassion and humanity is one of the most valuable things about the Frank Report.
Alanzo
Except for the misogynistic writings by Aristotle’s Sausage that is.
“One of the most valuable things about Frank Report” Are you kidding me? I guess you’re a relative newcomer and haven’t read too far back into the archives. L. O. L. The vilest of the trolls on here best represents the true character of this site. The balanced and compassionate tone only mutated onto the scene recently, and its sincerity will always be questionable.
Don’t cry, Spanky. We might have to call the whambulance.😂
Why does Ahmed not piss off and stop posting here? If you do not like this site, then go hop along somewhere else. Your constant salty tears will not make Kristin Kreuk, who you have stalked since before your nieces were born, open her legs for you while wearing a ninja costume hijab.
If you want a bit of stinky kebab, go find a cheap hooker, you pitiful old “man”.
You are one weird dude Ahmed
Jim Del Negro
jimdelnegroii [Instagram]
Original audio
nxivm101
I try to remember it’s the journey. Be kind even to your enemy.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CMDB_VrDyiU/
Jim really was a good guy. He will be missed.
Thank you for a thoughtful and generous eulogy. It humanizes you and your subject. And in a sad way, it points to the devastating fallout when bottomless evil (raniere) gets access to obscene wealth controlled by a fool (bronfman). The best qualities of the decent and sincere (del negro) are exploited to benefit the evil and control the fool. And what people don’t get about cults is that the decent and sincere don’t change in the group. They remain decent and sincere with a grand canyon of stupidity around the subject of the evil at the core of their leader. They become the leader’s best recruiters (young Salzman, Del Negro, young Oxenberg).
“If alternative medicine worked, it would just be called medicine.”
Interesting that the Lebaron family cult is still going strong. Google Ervil Lebaron for a real hair-raising story. These Mormon cultists have a long multi-state, two-nation string of God-inspired revenge killings to their credit. Makes Raniere’s cult look like a bunch of real pansies by comparison.
Ervil Le Baron is known as the Mormon Charles Manson.
The Crimes Of Ervil LeBaron | Deadly Cults Highlights | Oxygen
Death has no age.
Some people don’t understand that. They take time for granted, thinking they have all the time in the world when they’re young —or even not so young — but you never know. You could be twenty now and live to one hundred, or die today.
Wasting your own time is stupid, and wasting someone else’s time is just plain mean.
But if the person does not know you exist and you are just plain crazy and think the person is talking to you through the television, that is not them wasting your time. That is you being a raving fucking lunatic!
From Nicki Clyne’s Twitter
Nicki Clyne
@nickiclyne
·
4h
Ending the day with a heavy heart. I lost a dear friend, a generous soul, and one of the most sincere people I know. Hold your loved ones tight. Life is precious and too short for pettiness.
R.I.P
WABI5
By Associated Press
Published: Aug. 31, 2021 at 3:07 AM MESZ
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – A Maine State Prison inmate has settled a lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections for the nearly two years he spent in solitary confinement.
Maine Public Radio reports that under an unusual settlement Doug Burr’s attorney fees will be paid, disciplinary officers will receive training and no person will spend more than 30 days in solitary without approval from the department commissioner.
Burr, who is serving a 59-year sentence for murder, was accused of trafficking drugs with the help of his wife and spent 22 months in an 8-by-10 foot cell without any evidence presented against him.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
https://www.wabi.tv/2021/08/31/inmate-held-solitary-nearly-2-years-settles-lawsuit/
There are unfortunately lots of awful stories like this.
Jim Del Negro [Twitter]
Jim Del Negro
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Jim Del Negro
@jimdelnegro
My mission is to discuss and debate the virtue and ethics of freedom & humanity over the delusion of Safety and Security.
Sarasota, FLmakejusticeblind.comJoined April 2009
76 Following 72 Followers
https://twitter.com/jimdelnegro?lang=en
Jim Del Negro Speaks Out for First Time: Despite Causing ‘Destruction to Me and Others,’ Parlato Should Expose Big Tech Censorship of Free Speech and Investigate Injustice Done to Keith Raniere
February 1, 2021
https://frankreport.com/2021/02/01/jim-del-negro-speaks-out-for-first-time-despite-causing-destruction-to-me-and-others-frank-report-must-fight-for-free-speech/
jimdelnegroii [Instagram]
42 posts 149 followers 90 following
Jim Del Negro
https://www.instagram.com/jimdelnegroii/?hl=en
Condolences to the Del Negro family and thank you for this respectful obituary.
My takeaway is that his passing was a preventable tragedy. It was consistent with his distrust of Western medicine, evidenced by his politicization of, and public campaigning against, the COVID vaccine.
I’m all for western medicine, but that particular vaccine and the endless boosters are a total joke.