DOJ's View of NXIVM, #2: Sexual Exploitation of the Child Camila

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In the government response to Keith Raniere and Clare Bronfman’s appeals, they took a few dozen pages to describe their rather unflattering view of Raniere and NXIVM. This is part 2.

The Sexual Exploitation of Camila

Nxivm Camila — Mk10ART’s sketch of Camila.

In September 2005, Raniere began a sexual relationship with Camila, then a fifteen-year-old child. Camila and her family had arrived in Clifton Park, New York at Raniere’s invitation, and he arranged for Camila to work as a maid in Nancy Salzman’s house, which was a distance away from her siblings.

Camila lived in a house with other members of the Nxivm community, including Monica Duran, a woman who — like Camila —would later become a first-line “master” in DOS…

On November 2, 2005 and again on November 24, 2005, the defendant took photographs of Camila constituting child pornography. Several of the photographs depict Camila lying on a bed fully nude. At least five photographs depict close-ups of Camila’s genitals.

On March 27, 2018, law enforcement agents conducted a judicially authorized search of 8 Hale Drive, a residence in Halfmoon, New York, that was primarily used by Raniere.

During the course of the search, agents recovered, among other things, a Western Digital hard drive and a Canon EOS 20D camera. The Western Digital hard drive contained a folder titled “BACKUPS,” within which was a folder titled “Studies.”

Within the “Studies” folder were twelve subfolders containing nude photographs of twelve women with whom Raniere had a sexual relationship. Each subfolder was titled with the initials of the woman (or her nickname) and a date corresponding to the metadata of the image files contained within it, all of which were taken with the Canon EOS 20D camera between October and November 2005. [Actually I believe some of the photos were taken as late as Dec. 2005]

The images in the collection were similar in content. Each folder contained images of a nude woman on a bed and
close-up photographs of the woman’s public hair and vaginal area — images which the evidence at trial demonstrated were consistent with Raniere’s sexual preferences. Among the women depicted in the “Studies” folder were Lauren Salzman and Daniela, both of whom testified as government witnesses at trial.

One of the folders on the Western Digital hard drive was titled “V.” It contained thirteen photographs of Camila taken on
November 2, 2005, at least nine of which were child pornography. Several of the photographs depict Camila lying on a bed fully nude and at least five photographs depict close-ups of Camila’s genitals.

Electronic communications between Raniere and Camila admitted in evidence at trial confirm that their sexual relationship began with Camila was fifteen years old. In certain communications, Camila refers to her and Raniere’s “anniversary” — the first date they had sex — as September 18, 2005.

In 2009, Raniere and Camila exchanged numerous sexually explicit emails discussing the beginning of their sexual relationship as September 2005. Raniere’s nickname for Camila was “V” or “Virgin Camila.”