NEW YORK—Opening arguments in the high-profile trial of Keith Raniere, the leader of the purported self-help organization NXIVM, began on May 7, as the prosecution divulged that Raniere’s “most trusted associates” will testify in what is expected to be a six-week-long court case detailing a master-slave society within the group.
Raniere, who was formerly known as the “Vanguard” by his group’s devotees in the United States and Mexico, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for seven criminal counts, including sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy, and racketeering.
