Janine Morrison
Nicole Daedone, the founder of OneTaste, and Rachel Cherwitz, the company’s former Head of Sales, have been indicted on Forced Labor charges in Brooklyn federal court — the same court that prosecuted NXIVM.
Frank Parlato broke several important stories on the female sexuality group. He dubbed it “The Fingering Cult,” based on its practice of men wearing rubber gloves and stroking female practitioners’ clitorises for 15 minutes in public gatherings.
The practice was called Orgasmic Meditation or OM.
Groups gather where men digitally stimulate women as a One Taste practice called Orgasmic Meditation. Cherwitz, who lives in Philo, California, was arrested Tuesday morning. Daedone, its founder, has not been arrested and may be outside the USA.
In June 2018, Bloomberg News published “The Dark Side of Orgasmic Meditation.”
The Frank Report first reported on One Taste on September 4, 2018, after a mother who wanted to save her daughter from the cult sought Frank Parlato’s help.
In September 2018, he published “A cult worse than NXIVM? — a mother’s plea to rescue her daughter from ‘OneTaste!.'”
The first story led to new information from sources, and Frank Report published a series of articles that helped expose the coercive and allegedly illegal tactics used to lure young women into what could be sex trafficking and forced labor.
Parlato detailed how One Taste offered classes such as:
Checking Out a Turn-On event: $10+
OMXperience conference: $195 – $395+
Women-focused Training: $495+
Men-focused Training: $495+
Mastery Program: $7,500+
Train to Become a Coach: $15,000 and up.
Finally, FR reported on the FBI’s investigation on November 14, 2018, in an article titled “FBI launches investigation into One Taste – the ‘Fingering Cult.'”
Although it is unknown who will legally represent the One Taste defendants, Frank Report learned that Juda Englemayer, a premier NYC crisis manager, has handled publicity for One Taste. Englemayer also represents Clare Bronfman, Harvey Weinstein, and Anna Sorokin.
Englemayer has his work cut out for him.
Parlato is investigating allegations that women who began as recruits quit their jobs and became immersed in One Taste’s world of sexual activities.
In one case, One Taste arranged for a woman to be available for a couple who paid $10,000 per month to the company. In contrast, the woman made less than minimum wage, with large deductions from her wages taken as repayment for One Taste classes.
After almost five years of investigation, the United States Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District issued this press release on June 6, 2023:
DOJ Press Release
OneTaste Founder and Former Head of Sales Indicted for Forced Labor Conspiracy
Daedone And Cherwitz Allegedly Obtained Labor of OneTaste Members by Coercing Them and Grooming Them to Engage In Sexual Acts with Current and Prospective Investors, Clients, Employees, and Beneficiaries
An indictment was unsealed this morning in federal court in Brooklyn charging Nicole Daedone, founder and former Chief Executive Officer, and Rachel Cherwitz, former Head of Sales, of OneTaste, Inc. (OneTaste), a wellness education company founded in San Francisco, California.
Daedone and Cherwitz are both charged with forced labor conspiracy in connection with a years-long scheme to obtain the labor and services of a group of OneTaste members—including volunteers, contractors, and employees of OneTaste—by subjecting them to economic, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse, surveillance, indoctrination, and intimidation.
Cherwitz was arrested this morning and is expected to appear in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California this afternoon. Cherwitz will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. Daedone remains at large.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.
“Under the guise of empowerment and wellness, the defendants are alleged to have sought complete control over their employees’ lives, including by driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages,” said U.S. Attorney Peace. “This prosecution should serve as a reminder to both employer and employee that no matter the marketing mantra, this conduct is never acceptable.”
“The defendants advertised their company as being able to help individuals recover from past trauma. In reality, they allegedly targeted their victims in order to manipulate them not only into debt but to limit their independence and create a reliance on OneTaste for basic needs. The FBI will continue to ensure that anyone willing to engage in a forced labor schemes are held accountable in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
OneTaste
As alleged in the indictment and court documents, OneTaste branded itself as a sexuality-focused wellness education company founded by Nicole Daedone in 2004. From approximately 2004 through 2018, OneTaste generated revenue by providing courses, coaching and events related to so-called wellness practices, in exchange for a fee. Many OneTaste members lived in residential warehouses where they participated in courses and experimented sexually.
At various points in time, OneTaste maintained operations in, among other locations, New York City, San Francisco, Denver, Las Vegas, Boulder, Los Angeles, Austin and London. In New York City, OneTaste leased residences and hosted events in several different locations, including in Brooklyn, Harlem, Hells Kitchen, Soho and West Village neighborhoods.
Daedone served as the Chief Executive Officer and a leader of OneTaste from the company’s founding until approximately 2017. Rachel Cherwitz served as OneTaste’s Head of Sales from approximately 2009 through 2018.
The Scheme
As alleged in the indictment, between approximately 2004 and 2018, Daedone and Cherwitz deployed a series of abusive and manipulative tactics in order to obtain the labor and services of a group of OneTaste members who were volunteers, contractors, and employees of OneTaste. Daedone and Cherwitz intentionally targeted for recruitment to OneTaste individuals who had suffered prior trauma and advertised that OneTaste’s courses and teachings could heal past sexual trauma and dysfunction. If the members could not afford OneTaste’s courses—which ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars each—Daedone and Cherwitz induced the OneTaste members to incur debt, and at times directly assisted the OneTaste members in opening new credit cards, to pay for them.
Daedone and Cherwitz also undertook tactics designed to render the OneTaste members dependent on OneTaste for their shelter and basic necessities, and to limit the OneTaste members’ independence and control. Among other things, they subjected the OneTaste members to constant surveillance in communal homes and collected deeply sensitive and personal information about them which the defendants then used to render the OneTaste members emotionally, socially and psychologically dependent on OneTaste. They isolated the OneTaste members from their support networks by breaking up established relationships and assigning them to move to new locations on short notice. While employing such tactics, Daedone and Cherwitz demanded absolute commitment to Daedone, including by exalting Daedone’s teachings and ideology. As part of this ideology, Daedone and Cherwitz instructed the OneTaste members to engage in sexual acts—including acts the members found uncomfortable or repulsive— as a requirement to supposedly obtain freedom and enlightenment and demonstrate their commitment to OneTaste and Daedone.
Upon securing the allegiance of the OneTaste members through these tactics, Daedone and Cherwitz engaged in abusive employment practices. For example, Daedone, Cherwitz and other OneTaste leaders promised to pay the OneTaste members wages and commissions for work performed on behalf of OneTaste and subsequently failed to pay the OneTaste members the amounts owed, or changed the OneTaste members’ employment statuses or locations without advance notice. Daedone and Cherwitz also recruited and groomed OneTaste members to engage in sexual acts with OneTaste’s current and prospective investors, clients, employees and beneficiaries, for the financial benefit of OneTaste and, in turn, themselves.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Daedone and Cherwitz each face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
If you believe you are or may be a victim in this case, please call the FBI New York’s main line at 212-384-4677.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren H. Elbert, Gillian Kassner, Devon Lash and Jonathan Siegel are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Anna November.
The Defendants:
NICOLE DAEDONE
Age: 56
San Diego, California
RACHEL CHERWITZ
Age: 43
Philo, California
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-146 (DG)
Janine Morrison is a writer, editor, and gardening enthusiast.
Please leave a comment: Your opinion is important to us!
[…] and co-defendant Rachel Cherwitz were indicted on federal forced labor charges on June […]
How hot! Where do I sign up?
True meaning behind Gold finger FINALLY comes out
The men involved in this protracted fingering scam. Probably with have repetitive strain injury suits in the future. Not to mention friction burns from the gloves.
WTF? These ugly men and the stupid women who believe their schpiel.
As always Janine your writing is on point.
Thank you!
***
Congratulations Frank – another Cult exposed and taken out!!!
Keep on slaying!!!!!!
Hey Frank has Juda ever filled you in on his role with Angel Food Ministries?
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/founders-angel-food-ministries-plead-guilty/oA0PKm6CgUZKH7vJs5FrzI/
How tight were Juda and Joe (and Andy) ? ? ?
Those of us who were there know.
It’s *OFFICIAL something smells fishy!
*Raniere’s Official.
Was the death of Pam Cafritz the beginning of the end for Keith Raniere?
Pam Cafritz was a partner of Raniere since back in the Consumer Buy-Line era, along with Karen Untereiner. Raniere seemed able to sell his partners on his having multiple relationships. Or at least able to select partners that he would be able to sell on it. The relationship with Karen over time became essentially business only, while the relationship with Pam remained more intimate. Perhaps because Pam had family money that supported Raniere, while Karen did not ?
Toni Natalie was another legacy relationship from the Consumer Buy-Line era. Does our host know anything about the Karen-Pam-Toni dynamics, or was Toni gone before he started consulting for NXIVM ?
My understanding is that Barbara Bouchey was an early NXIVM student that Raniere found attractive and/or malleable, and was a romantic partner. Does our host have thoughts on whether Pam and Barbara knew about Raniere’s other relationships ? (Bouchey was one of the NXIVM Nine early defectors. Which resulted in Raniere launching a lawsuit siege against her).
Later in the NXIVM era, the Younger Consort came on the scene. I’m not using a name, because she has a young child by Raniere, and the child deserves to be left out of this. But it is established that YC shared a townhouse with Pam, where Raniere was free to drop in and expect sexual service.
It is also established that Pam and YC are credited by Raniere with “inventing” the JNESS program. JNESS was a womens’ group that was nominally independent of the ESP program. But female ESP students were recruited for JNESS, and JNESS students were recruited for ESP.
JNESS curriculum was cleverly disguised misogyny, clearly dictated by Raniere. It was the precursor to DOS.
But, DOS was not invented until after Pam Cafritz’s death from cancer. That is when Allison Mack seems to have taken over from Pam as the Senior Consort.
So after this long introduction, what are the thoughts and speculations of our host on whether Pam Cafritz was a stabilizing influence that kept JNESS from mutating into DOS ?
There is nothing wrong with what they did. You have dirty minds
I think Nicole is hot. I’ll consider fingering her. Can Frank arrange it.
Mustard(Bangkok),
Frank ain’t F’kin Moses…..
….He can’t part the sea or Nicole’s legs.
Stick to diddling your own bunghole
in the shower.
This looks like it may be an interesting trial. I suspect prosecutors may have a difficult time proving this one. Unlike the Raniere case, there was no branding and apparently no blackmail.
What it has in common is sex. But sex is not illegal.
This looks to me more like labor law violation. We’ll see.
Like Nxivm, this has huge humor potential. I mean, courses that teach men how to find and amuse the elusive clitoris? Worth more than a semester at Yale!
I don’t know what evidence will come out at trial, but I don’t see how “manipulating” volunteers to do unpaid labor constitutes a felony. Isn’t that what volunteers usually do? Work for free? Kinda what “volunteer” means, innit?
As for employees and contractors being underpaid, that’s labor law violation. Wal-Mart got convicted of similar and got fined. It wasn’t blown up into forced labor felony and nobody went to prison
I dunno, but so far I have a feeling this prosecution is motivated by First Taste being a cult (not illegal) and about sex (also not illegal)
Hey Aristotle? What do you think? Frank for the pulitzer?
—What it has in common is sex. But sex is not illegal.
Excellent point!
Entries must come from a U.S. newspaper, magazine or news site that publishes regularly. In all cases, entries must adhere to the highest journalistic principles. Broadcast media and their websites are ineligible in all categories. Any person may submit material to the Pulitzer Prize competition, whether an editor of a news organization, an individual journalist or a reader. To be eligible for consideration, work must derive from a U.S. newspaper, magazine, wire service or news site that publishes regularly.
I bet if Frank Parlato and Joseph Pulitzer ever met up for a drink? They’d have such a great time!
Anybody know how to nominate him for an award?
Did Joseph Pulitzer ever write in a female pseudonym wearing a green mini skirt? Frank has…. Frank is bold man. A bold, bold, man.
Pilgrim, so was Joseph pulitzer! Maybe even scandalous by some accounts!
Dam Frank you’re on a roll. Congratulations. I remember when you first broke this story.
Another notch in Frank Parlato’s belt. Beware those who think their cult won’t get investigated and taken down.
Looks like part of that old quote about “the wheels of justice turn(ing) slowly” may be proven true once again. Hopefully, so will the part about “but grind exceedingly fine”.
However, just as the legal authorities in the Albany, NY area never did anything to prosecute anyone associated with the NXIVM/ESP cult, it looks like the legal authorities in the San Francisco, CA area also turned a blind eye to One Taste. Fortunately, the prosecutors in the EDNY take this stuff seriously!
Welcome back!
K.R. Claviger!!!!!
Welcome back!!!!!
Your legal knowledge and scholarly wisdom are sorely missed.
I weep with joy.
***
Seriously, I’ve missed you.
Feel like I need a shower after reading this one.
Anonymous 3:29
It’s the OFFICIAL….
Try Dawn Lemon Scent™️
Degenerate.
This blog draws them all, ugh!