NXIVM - Page 35

It is spectacular to see Keith Alan Raniere finally at trial. He sat at the defense table between Paul DerOhanesian [on his right] and Marc Aginfilo [on his left] looking like a little schoolboy. Raniere was animated, often taking notes, leaning forward,…

THE COURT: Please be seated. All right. Mr. Agnifilo, how long is your opening? AGNIFILO: Longer than the Government’s opening. I don’t know how long. Maybe 45 minutes. THE COURT: 45 minutes? AGNIFILO: Maybe 50 minutes. I don’t know. THE COURT: I…

Judge Nicholas Garaufis, after concluding his opening remarks to the jury, said, “All right. At this time, we will begin with opening statements. The government will give its opening statement first. Ms. Hajjar, you may proceed with the government’s opening statement. Hajjar then went to…

I plan to cover the trial of Keith Raniere by reporting the big events as quickly as possible on the day of the trial and the following day get into more detail of events that occurred. For the more in depth coverage,…

The first day of Keith Raniere’s trial ended on an odd note with Raniere’s lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, indicating he wanted the presiding judge, Nicholas G. Garaufis, to declare a mistrial – and a clearly miffed Judge Garaufis indicating that, if a…

The large crowd of people seeking to attend the trial caused a brief delay at the outset of this morning’s session. But things finally got underway around 10:00 AM – with Judge Garaufis reviewing the procedures and rules that will be followed…

Update #1 The jury ranges in age from the late-20s to the mid-60s – with more older than younger members. Three of the four female members are Caucasian – whereas most of the eight male members are minorities. As previously noted,…

Tomorrow, the curtain will rise on what is expected to be the 6-8 week trial of Keith Raniere, the man behind the curtain of the NXIVM criminal enterprise. Shortly after 9:30 AM, U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis will enter the…

Clare Bronfman pleaded guilty to two felony charges on April 19, which was Good Friday.  Some of her victims felt it was a bad Friday. How could it be that the cruelest, most active Nxivm member, the financier of the vicious Keith…

Things are moving along. A jury has been impaneled for Keith Raniere  – 8 men and 4 women. The task was neatly done by late Monday morning in Brooklyn Federal Court – as about 55 potential jurors were winnowed down to 12…

Today is when 12 jurors – and 6 alternates – will be selected to hear the case of the U.S. v. Raniere Et Al (Actually, since all five of Keith Raniere’s co-defendants have already pleaded guilty to various charges, I guess we…

By definition, a “Vanguard” is someone who is at the forefront of new developments – or who is leading a movement of new ideas. Inherent in the definition is the notion that a Vanguard has strong and rock-solid beliefs. Whether Keith Alan…

One of the best and most comprehensive of many ‘curtain raisers’ on the upcoming Nxivm trial was published today in the Albany Times Union.  Written by Brendan Lyons, the story is entitled “Raniere Stands Alone”. And, in fact, he does stand alone.  The man…

Given that Clare Bronfman comes from a family of mobsters, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that she turned out to be one herself. But the world might never have known about the mobster side of Clare had she not crossed paths with Keith…