page_title: Keith Raniere
section_title: 2003 Forbes exposé
hierarchical_section_title: Keith Raniere / Executive Success Programs and NXIVM / 2003 Forbes exposé
caption_attribution_description: English: Edgar M. Bronfman 1
context_page_description: Keith Allen Raniere, also known as Vanguard, is an American convicted felon and the founder of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing organization based near Albany, New York. Between 1998 and 2018, NXIVM developed a following primarily through its personal development seminars, recruiting several celebrities and socialites. However, the organization also faced multiple accusations of systemic sexual abuse of female members by Raniere and members of his inner circle, leading to the arrests of Raniere and other NXIVM members in early 2018. Raniere has subsequently been characterized in media reports as a cult leader.
  On June 19, 2019, Raniere was convicted of federal crimes including sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor, all related to a secret society within NXIVM known as DOS, or The Vow. Raniere was scheduled to be sentenced early 2020. He faces a mandatory minimum prison term of fifteen years and a possible life sentence.
context_section_description: In October 2003, Raniere was featured, cloaked in shadows, on the cover of Forbes magazine, accompanied by the appellation "The World's Strangest Executive Coach." The "devastating" cover story, penned by Michael Freedman and entitled "Cult of Personality," has been described as "a gold mine of previously unpublished information". The cover story discussed Raniere's title "Vanguard" and detailed his business, Consumers' Buyline, which collapsed amid accusations of being a "pyramid scheme." The cover story included a quote from billionaire Edgar Bronfman accusing the organization of being a cult.
  Vanity Fair subsequently reported on the cover story's impact within the group: "People at NXIVM were stunned. Expecting a positive story, the top ranks had spoken to Forbes, including Raniere, Salzman, and Sara Bronfman. What upset them above all were Edgar Bronfman’s remarks." According to Vanity Fair, the Forbes article was a turning point in Raniere's relationship with Edgar Bronfman: "'That,' says one woman, 'was when Edgar Bronfman became NXIVM’s enemy.'" A witness at Raniere's trial later testified that Edgar Bronfman's computer was compromised and his emails monitored by group members for a period of years.
caption: In 2003, billionaire Edgar Bronfman Sr. took a NXIVM course at the encouragement of his daughters Sara and Clare. Later that year, he would denounce the group as a "cult" in a quote he gave to Forbes Magazine. He died in 2013.
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