1 00:00:11,707 --> 00:00:15,232 Slaves, masters, and a secret sex cult-- 2 00:00:15,276 --> 00:00:17,930 and now, a federal indictment. 3 00:00:17,974 --> 00:00:19,758 AandE investigates NXIVM 4 00:00:19,802 --> 00:00:21,108 [music playing] 5 00:00:21,151 --> 00:00:22,674 SARAH EDMONDSON: I don't think people can imagine 6 00:00:22,718 --> 00:00:27,070 what it's like to have your skin seared open for 40 7 00:00:27,114 --> 00:00:27,853 or 45 minutes. 8 00:00:32,728 --> 00:00:38,647 There's me and me brand, front page of "The New York Times." 9 00:00:38,690 --> 00:00:40,562 Keith Raniere, the founder of NXIVM, 10 00:00:40,605 --> 00:00:43,565 is accused of coercing women into being sex slaves. 11 00:00:43,608 --> 00:00:45,567 He's now facing federal charges, 12 00:00:45,610 --> 00:00:47,264 including sex trafficking. 13 00:00:47,308 --> 00:00:50,398 We were all pawns for him in his sick, perverted fantasy, 14 00:00:50,441 --> 00:00:52,008 especially women. 15 00:00:52,052 --> 00:00:53,749 What would you say to Keith if you had the chance 16 00:00:53,792 --> 00:00:55,620 to say anything to him now? 17 00:00:55,664 --> 00:00:57,187 I would say that he messed with the wrong person. 18 00:01:20,123 --> 00:01:23,126 [music playing] 19 00:01:24,519 --> 00:01:26,086 MARK VICENTE: Let's go sit over there. 20 00:01:26,129 --> 00:01:29,089 Here at the table spot. 21 00:01:29,132 --> 00:01:29,959 It's a good place. 22 00:01:30,002 --> 00:01:31,439 Yeah. Water? 23 00:01:31,482 --> 00:01:32,701 - Yes, please. - [inaudible] 24 00:01:32,744 --> 00:01:34,050 MARK VICENTE: Yeah. 25 00:01:34,094 --> 00:01:37,009 So I was looking through the Facebook page. 26 00:01:37,053 --> 00:01:38,098 Check this out. 27 00:01:38,141 --> 00:01:41,188 So this was 2013 Michelle, in. 28 00:01:41,231 --> 00:01:42,145 SARAH EDMONDSON: Still in. 29 00:01:42,189 --> 00:01:43,320 Left. 30 00:01:43,364 --> 00:01:44,713 Left. In. 31 00:01:44,756 --> 00:01:46,149 In. 32 00:01:46,193 --> 00:01:47,759 SARAH EDMONDSON: I was in NXIVM for 12 years, 33 00:01:47,803 --> 00:01:49,544 and I left six months ago. 34 00:01:49,587 --> 00:01:52,155 Until recently, my primary social group was NXIVM. 35 00:01:52,199 --> 00:01:56,203 My husband started NXIVM a few years before I did. 36 00:01:56,246 --> 00:01:59,293 And when he and I met, we were friends for a few years 37 00:01:59,336 --> 00:02:00,772 before we started dating. 38 00:02:00,816 --> 00:02:03,601 MARK VICENTE: And this was the happiest people 39 00:02:03,645 --> 00:02:12,436 because, for a moment, they forgot they were in a cult. 40 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,656 SARAH EDMONDSON: I was born and raised and spent 41 00:02:14,699 --> 00:02:18,790 my entire childhood and most of my teenage life in Vancouver. 42 00:02:18,834 --> 00:02:22,054 My parents were former hippies, Then my mom became a therapist. 43 00:02:22,098 --> 00:02:24,100 My dad's a counselor. 44 00:02:24,144 --> 00:02:27,408 Self-help, and therapy, and introspection, 45 00:02:27,451 --> 00:02:30,193 and self-awareness was a big part of my life 46 00:02:30,237 --> 00:02:32,152 since as long as I can remember. 47 00:02:32,195 --> 00:02:36,068 I was very much a seeker from a young age. 48 00:02:36,112 --> 00:02:39,159 [music playing] 49 00:02:40,986 --> 00:02:43,206 It didn't feel like I was having the impact that I was hoping 50 00:02:43,250 --> 00:02:44,686 that I'd gain from acting. 51 00:02:44,729 --> 00:02:48,646 And that's when I met Mark Vicente. 52 00:02:48,690 --> 00:02:52,215 He and I connected immediately. 53 00:02:52,259 --> 00:02:54,565 MARK VICENTE: So Sarah and I met on a cruise ship. 54 00:02:54,609 --> 00:02:56,437 I think it was 2004, 2005. 55 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,962 I was a judge at a film festival at sea. 56 00:03:00,005 --> 00:03:01,790 SARAH EDMONDSON: We just chatted all night. 57 00:03:01,833 --> 00:03:05,010 And by the end of the week, he had told us about the smartest 58 00:03:05,054 --> 00:03:07,143 man in the world that lived in upstate New York 59 00:03:07,187 --> 00:03:10,929 and this group people that were really changing things. 60 00:03:10,973 --> 00:03:13,105 I don't even remember the specifics of it. 61 00:03:13,149 --> 00:03:14,759 I just knew that I wanted to be a part of it, 62 00:03:14,803 --> 00:03:16,283 and I wanted to work with Mark. 63 00:03:16,326 --> 00:03:17,893 He thought I would've really loved the NXIVM 64 00:03:17,936 --> 00:03:19,764 five-day course, and it just so happened 65 00:03:19,808 --> 00:03:22,332 that there was a five-day workshop in Vancouver 66 00:03:22,376 --> 00:03:23,812 a few weeks after that. 67 00:03:23,855 --> 00:03:25,944 I put my deposit down to take the course, 68 00:03:25,988 --> 00:03:28,556 and I paid over $2000. 69 00:03:28,599 --> 00:03:30,993 NXIVM says that it's a self-help group. 70 00:03:31,036 --> 00:03:33,561 It's a set of tools or an educational system 71 00:03:33,604 --> 00:03:36,128 to help people evolve their limiting beliefs, 72 00:03:36,172 --> 00:03:38,087 and to understand themselves better, 73 00:03:38,130 --> 00:03:40,176 and take everything to the next level. 74 00:03:40,220 --> 00:03:41,612 [music playing] 75 00:03:41,656 --> 00:03:43,919 The goal is to help people relieve themselves 76 00:03:43,962 --> 00:03:45,877 of the patterns and the issues they've 77 00:03:45,921 --> 00:03:48,010 had their whole life to be a more 78 00:03:48,053 --> 00:03:51,013 optimal version of themselves. 79 00:03:51,056 --> 00:03:53,015 It's a workshop that, when you do this right, 80 00:03:53,058 --> 00:03:57,019 an issue you've had for your entire life will be gone. 81 00:03:57,062 --> 00:04:00,544 The first class is a class called rules and rituals. 82 00:04:00,588 --> 00:04:02,111 We call it that because these are the rituals 83 00:04:02,154 --> 00:04:03,895 that we use in our program. 84 00:04:03,939 --> 00:04:06,855 For example, we take our shoes off at the door. 85 00:04:06,898 --> 00:04:09,379 We call Keith Raniere vanguard because a vanguard 86 00:04:09,423 --> 00:04:11,903 means it's a leader of a philosophical movement. 87 00:04:11,947 --> 00:04:14,254 There is a ranking system similar to martial arts 88 00:04:14,297 --> 00:04:15,516 using sashes. 89 00:04:15,559 --> 00:04:18,736 And all of it's been preempted with-- 90 00:04:18,780 --> 00:04:21,217 there is going to be things that happen in this module that will 91 00:04:21,261 --> 00:04:25,308 make you uncomfortable, and you will feel the urge to bolt. 92 00:04:25,352 --> 00:04:26,918 And that's totally normal. 93 00:04:26,962 --> 00:04:28,920 And when you feel that, just speak to any of the coaches. 94 00:04:28,964 --> 00:04:29,747 Put your hand up. 95 00:04:29,791 --> 00:04:31,009 We're happy to help you. 96 00:04:31,053 --> 00:04:33,882 It means that you're doing it right. 97 00:04:33,925 --> 00:04:37,886 How long did it take you to suspend your skepticism 98 00:04:37,929 --> 00:04:39,801 and say, OK, you know? 99 00:04:39,844 --> 00:04:41,368 Day three-- day three of the five. 100 00:04:41,411 --> 00:04:42,760 The first three days of my five-day, 101 00:04:42,804 --> 00:04:46,547 I was very closed and very, very skeptical. 102 00:04:46,590 --> 00:04:49,289 And then by the third day, I had enough shifts, 103 00:04:49,332 --> 00:04:53,815 basically from doing therapy for 14-hours a day for three days. 104 00:04:53,858 --> 00:04:54,946 And I felt very differently. 105 00:04:54,990 --> 00:04:56,252 And I was like, OK. 106 00:04:56,296 --> 00:04:57,297 This is great. 107 00:04:57,340 --> 00:04:58,733 I'm in. 108 00:04:58,776 --> 00:05:01,039 The night of the third day, I had a huge shift, 109 00:05:01,083 --> 00:05:04,086 and I thought it was amazing. 110 00:05:04,129 --> 00:05:06,218 And every time I took a training, I felt better. 111 00:05:06,262 --> 00:05:08,133 And I felt more options in my life, 112 00:05:08,177 --> 00:05:11,572 and I started to breakthrough limitations in my career. 113 00:05:11,615 --> 00:05:12,834 My close friends saw me, and they 114 00:05:12,877 --> 00:05:14,357 would see a difference in me. 115 00:05:14,401 --> 00:05:15,402 And they, whatever you're doing, what is that? 116 00:05:15,445 --> 00:05:16,533 I want to do that. 117 00:05:16,577 --> 00:05:18,100 And I remember feeling like I had 118 00:05:18,143 --> 00:05:22,104 been given a book of secrets. 119 00:05:22,147 --> 00:05:25,499 And then in 2009, Mark Vicente and I became business partners, 120 00:05:25,542 --> 00:05:27,805 and we actually opened a physical center 121 00:05:27,849 --> 00:05:29,372 here in Vancouver. 122 00:05:29,416 --> 00:05:33,202 We were incredibly successful, bustling, great energy. 123 00:05:33,245 --> 00:05:38,033 At the highest, we had over 240, I believe, full-time students. 124 00:05:38,076 --> 00:05:39,382 People would come in. 125 00:05:39,426 --> 00:05:40,688 They'd see my presentation. 126 00:05:40,731 --> 00:05:42,429 They're like, I don't even know this is. 127 00:05:42,472 --> 00:05:43,691 But I love the people here, and I want to be a part of this. 128 00:05:43,734 --> 00:05:45,519 And it was amazing. 129 00:05:45,562 --> 00:05:48,739 I brought so many people into NXIVM. 130 00:05:48,783 --> 00:05:51,307 And at the time, I thought I was inviting them to something 131 00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:52,613 that was really helpful. 132 00:05:52,656 --> 00:05:56,007 [music playing] 133 00:06:01,578 --> 00:06:04,276 Keith did this big enrollment push and was like, 134 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:05,887 we need to create an enrollment culture-- 135 00:06:05,930 --> 00:06:08,368 and started recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. 136 00:06:08,411 --> 00:06:09,499 I had a huge network. 137 00:06:09,543 --> 00:06:11,632 I was a natural promoter. 138 00:06:11,675 --> 00:06:14,765 And I was signing people up and sharing my success, 139 00:06:14,809 --> 00:06:16,332 and I felt really on fire. 140 00:06:28,126 --> 00:06:29,650 MARK VICENTE: Check this out. 141 00:06:29,693 --> 00:06:33,654 So, I took a lot of photographs with Keith Raniere. 142 00:06:33,697 --> 00:06:36,700 I was always trying to make him look better. 143 00:06:36,744 --> 00:06:38,963 You know, I was always trying to make him look like-- 144 00:06:39,007 --> 00:06:39,790 More normal? 145 00:06:39,834 --> 00:06:41,183 MARK VICENTE: Yeah. 146 00:06:41,226 --> 00:06:42,227 SARAH EDMONDSON: This is part of his mannerisms. 147 00:06:42,271 --> 00:06:43,228 [music playing] - Yeah. 148 00:06:43,272 --> 00:06:44,882 What does this mean? 149 00:06:44,926 --> 00:06:46,406 It means to come close to me, feel comfortable with me. 150 00:06:46,449 --> 00:06:47,798 Yeah. I'm harmless. 151 00:06:47,842 --> 00:06:48,582 I'm harmless. 152 00:06:48,625 --> 00:06:49,583 You can trust me. 153 00:06:49,626 --> 00:06:50,453 I'm not a sociopath. 154 00:06:50,497 --> 00:06:51,454 I won't molest you. 155 00:06:58,505 --> 00:07:02,683 KEITH RANIERE: And when you run a personal development program, 156 00:07:02,726 --> 00:07:05,033 our main emphasis, our main belief 157 00:07:05,076 --> 00:07:08,689 is to have people experience more joy in their lives. 158 00:07:08,732 --> 00:07:12,910 And from that, all sorts of interesting effects 159 00:07:12,954 --> 00:07:15,043 appear to happen. 160 00:07:15,086 --> 00:07:16,566 SARAH EDMONDSON: Keith is the leader of NXIVM. 161 00:07:16,610 --> 00:07:19,526 He's the philosophical founder. 162 00:07:19,569 --> 00:07:23,921 We were told that Keith is a genius with an IQ of 240. 163 00:07:23,965 --> 00:07:26,750 He was speaking in full sentences at the age of one. 164 00:07:26,794 --> 00:07:28,404 He was a concert pianist. 165 00:07:28,448 --> 00:07:31,320 He was the east coast judo champion at 11. 166 00:07:31,363 --> 00:07:33,627 He earned degrees in mathematics, 167 00:07:33,670 --> 00:07:35,542 biology, and physics. 168 00:07:35,585 --> 00:07:39,894 Keith is a businessman who created NXIVM in 1998. 169 00:07:39,937 --> 00:07:41,983 Under Keith's leadership, NXIVM has 170 00:07:42,026 --> 00:07:45,290 brought in millions for personal and professional development 171 00:07:45,334 --> 00:07:46,770 programs. 172 00:07:46,814 --> 00:07:48,642 We're a success program. 173 00:07:48,685 --> 00:07:50,687 Richard Branson took our course. 174 00:07:50,731 --> 00:07:52,820 The Dalai Lama is endorsing us. 175 00:07:52,863 --> 00:07:56,519 Allison Mack, who is an actress, is part of NXIVM. 176 00:07:56,563 --> 00:08:00,610 JANJA LALICH: NXIVM has an image of very happy, good looking, 177 00:08:00,654 --> 00:08:02,220 successful people-- 178 00:08:02,264 --> 00:08:03,570 and especially women. 179 00:08:03,613 --> 00:08:06,442 This is very important to create that image 180 00:08:06,486 --> 00:08:09,880 because it's a very powerful tool for recruiting. 181 00:08:09,924 --> 00:08:13,188 SARAH EDMONDSON: When I first met [inaudible] 182 00:08:13,231 --> 00:08:16,626 I just turned 28, and I was definitely 183 00:08:16,670 --> 00:08:18,280 looking forward to meeting him. 184 00:08:18,323 --> 00:08:20,630 He was the founder of NXIVM, solving 185 00:08:20,674 --> 00:08:22,937 the world's biggest problems. 186 00:08:22,980 --> 00:08:27,289 He was this selfless humanitarian. 187 00:08:27,332 --> 00:08:28,986 MARK VICENTE: When you're someone like me that values 188 00:08:29,030 --> 00:08:30,161 intelligence and you're told this 189 00:08:30,205 --> 00:08:31,946 is the smartest man in the world, 190 00:08:31,989 --> 00:08:35,123 highest IQ ever scored, you got me. 191 00:08:35,166 --> 00:08:39,519 Because of everything I was told and the things he would say, 192 00:08:39,562 --> 00:08:42,304 I elevated him in my mind to somebody who really 193 00:08:42,347 --> 00:08:45,829 understood the human condition. 194 00:08:45,873 --> 00:08:48,310 I was the person responsible for creating 195 00:08:48,353 --> 00:08:49,964 those videos that are online. 196 00:08:50,007 --> 00:08:51,705 When I looked back at them recently, I was thinking, 197 00:08:51,748 --> 00:08:53,489 what is he saying? 198 00:08:53,533 --> 00:08:54,838 He's not saying anything. 199 00:08:54,882 --> 00:08:57,928 We have sterling credentials that we have 200 00:08:57,972 --> 00:09:00,148 no credentials in the field. 201 00:09:00,191 --> 00:09:04,326 See, credentials seem to be self-limiting in the field. 202 00:09:04,369 --> 00:09:09,331 He did some things with me that were really interesting. 203 00:09:09,374 --> 00:09:11,333 I'll give you an example. 204 00:09:11,376 --> 00:09:15,816 I was sent a video from one of my Mexican contacts 205 00:09:15,859 --> 00:09:17,818 who was a civil rights guy of four women being 206 00:09:17,861 --> 00:09:20,211 decapitated by the cartel. 207 00:09:20,255 --> 00:09:22,170 So I told Keith Raniere about the video, and he said, well, 208 00:09:22,213 --> 00:09:23,388 can I see it? 209 00:09:23,432 --> 00:09:24,607 I go, I don't want to show anybody. 210 00:09:24,651 --> 00:09:25,608 It's the worst thing I've ever seen. 211 00:09:25,652 --> 00:09:26,522 He says, no, I can handle it. 212 00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:27,741 So I give him the video. 213 00:09:27,784 --> 00:09:29,438 A couple of days later, he calls me. 214 00:09:29,481 --> 00:09:31,571 And he says, I've watched it, and I'd like 215 00:09:31,614 --> 00:09:32,789 to talk to you about it a bit. 216 00:09:32,833 --> 00:09:34,182 And he starts talking to me about all 217 00:09:34,225 --> 00:09:36,750 the different perspectives of the players 218 00:09:36,793 --> 00:09:38,665 in this video of decapitation-- 219 00:09:38,708 --> 00:09:41,145 the old woman, the younger girl, the kid 220 00:09:41,189 --> 00:09:42,538 who can't cut the head off properly, 221 00:09:42,582 --> 00:09:43,887 the other one who is giving the orders. 222 00:09:43,931 --> 00:09:45,149 And he says, what's it like for that one? 223 00:09:45,193 --> 00:09:46,150 What's it like for this one? 224 00:09:46,194 --> 00:09:47,238 What's it like for this one? 225 00:09:47,282 --> 00:09:49,197 And it always struck me-- 226 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:50,677 how does he do that? 227 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:53,244 How does he not have these terrible reactions I do? 228 00:09:53,288 --> 00:09:54,637 How is he so evolved? 229 00:09:54,681 --> 00:09:56,204 ELIZABETH VARGAS: What was the charisma? 230 00:09:56,247 --> 00:09:59,294 Because I haven't watched all the videos on YouTube 231 00:09:59,337 --> 00:10:02,297 and I've seen all the, you know-- 232 00:10:02,340 --> 00:10:03,864 the films of him speaking on stage. 233 00:10:03,907 --> 00:10:05,126 I don't get it, Sarah. 234 00:10:05,169 --> 00:10:06,649 I just-- 235 00:10:06,693 --> 00:10:08,390 SARAH EDMONDSON: I think because you're watching it 236 00:10:08,433 --> 00:10:11,132 from the perspective of you already think he's, you know, 237 00:10:11,175 --> 00:10:13,221 a narcissistic, sex ringleader. 238 00:10:13,264 --> 00:10:14,962 And you're going, yeah, I can see it. 239 00:10:15,005 --> 00:10:17,051 When I met him, I didn't have any of that in my head. 240 00:10:17,094 --> 00:10:19,227 I had him in this other elevated status. 241 00:10:19,270 --> 00:10:20,968 But is there something that's not 242 00:10:21,011 --> 00:10:22,056 communicating or translating across through the TV screen? 243 00:10:22,099 --> 00:10:22,970 Yes. Yes. 244 00:10:23,013 --> 00:10:24,667 Yes, I do think so. 245 00:10:24,711 --> 00:10:27,278 It is the whole foundation where, everyday, we're going, 246 00:10:27,322 --> 00:10:28,628 thank you, Vanguard. 247 00:10:28,671 --> 00:10:29,846 And, like, this curriculum is so amazing. 248 00:10:29,890 --> 00:10:31,239 And it's all because of Keith. 249 00:10:31,282 --> 00:10:34,808 So you have a lot of people saying thank you 250 00:10:34,851 --> 00:10:36,766 and revering him before you even meet him. 251 00:10:36,810 --> 00:10:39,116 By the time you meet him, he's good at getting in rapport 252 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:40,509 and connecting, you know, eye-to-eye. 253 00:10:40,552 --> 00:10:41,336 And you feel-- 254 00:10:41,379 --> 00:10:42,293 What does he do? 255 00:10:42,337 --> 00:10:43,555 Does he get close to you? 256 00:10:43,599 --> 00:10:44,905 Stare into your eyes? 257 00:10:44,948 --> 00:10:46,384 Does he touch your arm while he's talking? 258 00:10:46,428 --> 00:10:47,603 You're not gonna like this answer? 259 00:10:47,647 --> 00:10:48,735 What? 260 00:10:48,778 --> 00:10:49,605 He kisses everyone on the lips. 261 00:10:49,649 --> 00:10:51,651 Ew, really? 262 00:10:51,694 --> 00:10:53,261 I want to say, like, something was off, 263 00:10:53,304 --> 00:10:57,569 but it was countered by all the good things in NXIVM. 264 00:10:57,613 --> 00:11:00,921 And I couldn't quite reconcile it. 265 00:11:00,964 --> 00:11:04,664 In retrospect, Keith doesn't care about humanity and ethics. 266 00:11:04,707 --> 00:11:06,927 We were all pawns for him in his little chess 267 00:11:06,970 --> 00:11:09,581 game, especially women. 268 00:11:15,413 --> 00:11:18,721 usic playing] 269 00:11:20,375 --> 00:11:22,203 Now that I go back and I look at these pictures-- 270 00:11:22,246 --> 00:11:23,552 like this picture of everybody sitting 271 00:11:23,595 --> 00:11:24,945 watching Keith enthralled-- 272 00:11:24,988 --> 00:11:27,469 I'm like, that's a whole different picture to me. 273 00:11:27,512 --> 00:11:28,775 Like, when I was there-- 274 00:11:28,818 --> 00:11:30,037 you guys weren't there that day, were you? 275 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:31,734 No. 276 00:11:31,778 --> 00:11:33,605 MARK VICENTE: When I was there, I was like, this man knows 277 00:11:33,649 --> 00:11:35,303 [bleep] that nobody knows. 278 00:11:35,346 --> 00:11:38,045 And, you know, he's going to take life to the next level. 279 00:11:38,088 --> 00:11:39,960 And now I'm just like, oh my god, that's so sad. 280 00:11:43,790 --> 00:11:48,272 I started to have suspicions about Keith 281 00:11:48,316 --> 00:11:50,710 and his relationship with the women. 282 00:11:54,583 --> 00:11:55,932 KEITH RANIERE: And as you are is, of course, 283 00:11:55,976 --> 00:11:58,413 the sum of your whole past. 284 00:11:58,456 --> 00:12:00,110 So when someone's being authentic, 285 00:12:00,154 --> 00:12:03,897 you get the feeling that, not only that there's 286 00:12:03,940 --> 00:12:06,769 a person there in the moment, but, somehow, you 287 00:12:06,813 --> 00:12:09,337 reach into their very essence, and you 288 00:12:09,380 --> 00:12:10,947 meet a unique individual. 289 00:12:10,991 --> 00:12:13,341 Hm. 290 00:12:13,384 --> 00:12:15,560 I don't know why that makes me want to cry. 291 00:12:15,604 --> 00:12:16,997 It's beautiful. 292 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:18,041 I think-- - Well, it's-- 293 00:12:18,085 --> 00:12:19,608 Sorry. 294 00:12:19,651 --> 00:12:23,786 Where it got really problematic for me is that some 295 00:12:23,830 --> 00:12:27,050 of the people that Keith was mentoring, like Allison Mack, 296 00:12:27,094 --> 00:12:30,445 began just enrolling all these girls, 297 00:12:30,488 --> 00:12:35,319 pretty, young girls, very consistent-- not the fat ones. 298 00:12:35,363 --> 00:12:36,843 SARAH EDMONDSON: I was in JNESS. 299 00:12:36,886 --> 00:12:40,020 It was an offshoot of NXIVM. 300 00:12:40,063 --> 00:12:43,806 JNESS is a workshop designed for women to help us figure 301 00:12:43,850 --> 00:12:46,461 out who we are at our core. 302 00:12:46,504 --> 00:12:50,552 The JNESS track was $15,000 for three, eight-day trainings-- 303 00:12:50,595 --> 00:12:51,466 so, five grand each. 304 00:12:54,425 --> 00:12:57,689 ALLISON MACK: Working for JNESS is 305 00:12:57,733 --> 00:12:59,517 the most satisfying and purposeful 306 00:12:59,561 --> 00:13:02,477 thing I've ever done. 307 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,393 Watching the women who are involved in JNESS completely 308 00:13:05,436 --> 00:13:11,094 transform and evolve in a way that is so pure 309 00:13:11,138 --> 00:13:14,315 is such a privilege. 310 00:13:14,358 --> 00:13:16,665 SARAH EDMONDSON: This is where I think Keith is brilliant 311 00:13:16,708 --> 00:13:18,101 in his-- in my opinion-- 312 00:13:18,145 --> 00:13:22,192 sociopathic way that he is telling us we 313 00:13:22,236 --> 00:13:23,933 need to look at our indoctrination. 314 00:13:23,977 --> 00:13:25,761 How we're raised as woman is very different than how 315 00:13:25,805 --> 00:13:27,067 men are raised. 316 00:13:27,110 --> 00:13:30,505 And that indoctrination is disabling for us. 317 00:13:30,548 --> 00:13:36,076 And he's saying, men see women as weak, and we are flaky. 318 00:13:36,119 --> 00:13:37,860 Men say they're going to show up somewhere, 319 00:13:37,904 --> 00:13:39,949 and they show up somewhere. 320 00:13:39,993 --> 00:13:42,473 Women are designed to be monogamous, 321 00:13:42,517 --> 00:13:44,867 and men are designed to be polyamorous. 322 00:13:44,911 --> 00:13:48,175 Men are designed to spread their seed and to populate the world, 323 00:13:48,218 --> 00:13:53,006 and we're designed to be loyal to our man and be subservient. 324 00:13:53,049 --> 00:13:56,270 In the process of understanding our indoctrination, 325 00:13:56,313 --> 00:13:59,099 he is slipping in a new indoctrination. 326 00:13:59,142 --> 00:14:00,448 I actually remember the last training 327 00:14:00,491 --> 00:14:02,363 I took with JNESS because I was like, wow, 328 00:14:02,406 --> 00:14:04,800 I'm not obedient enough. 329 00:14:04,844 --> 00:14:06,280 The cult has to break you down. 330 00:14:06,323 --> 00:14:10,066 They have to reframe your identity in some way 331 00:14:10,110 --> 00:14:12,808 emotionally and psychologically because cults 332 00:14:12,852 --> 00:14:15,506 are about conformity and compliance. 333 00:14:15,550 --> 00:14:18,074 So they have to start taking you apart and then 334 00:14:18,118 --> 00:14:20,163 rebuilding you in their image. 335 00:14:20,207 --> 00:14:22,165 So every cult will do that in some way. 336 00:14:22,209 --> 00:14:25,038 That's part of the indoctrination process. 337 00:14:25,081 --> 00:14:28,171 [music playing] 338 00:14:31,131 --> 00:14:33,263 This is my wedding album. 339 00:14:33,307 --> 00:14:39,226 And in this album is a lot of great pictures of-- let's see. 340 00:14:39,269 --> 00:14:40,923 There's Lauren. 341 00:14:40,967 --> 00:14:43,404 There she is. 342 00:14:43,447 --> 00:14:47,887 Lauren was my maid of honor, and my officiant, 343 00:14:47,930 --> 00:14:51,151 and godmother to our son. 344 00:14:51,194 --> 00:14:54,458 [music playing] 345 00:15:04,555 --> 00:15:06,688 Lauren told me that I'd have to go through an initiation 346 00:15:06,731 --> 00:15:08,733 process to be a part of DOS. 347 00:15:08,777 --> 00:15:12,128 She said, first thing is you make a vow of obedience-- 348 00:15:12,172 --> 00:15:14,478 a lifetime commitment to me. 349 00:15:14,522 --> 00:15:18,352 It's like a heightened coach, which she kept repeating 350 00:15:18,395 --> 00:15:21,442 because the next step was understanding that would 351 00:15:21,485 --> 00:15:24,140 be a master-slave relationship. 352 00:15:24,184 --> 00:15:25,837 She's like, not like a real slave 353 00:15:25,881 --> 00:15:29,711 like putting grapes in my mouth, but, like, think guru disciple. 354 00:15:29,754 --> 00:15:31,843 You actually said at one point you thought you were 355 00:15:31,887 --> 00:15:33,933 a bunch of bad-ass bitches. 356 00:15:33,976 --> 00:15:35,630 Yeah, that's how she pitched it to me-- a bad-ass 357 00:15:35,673 --> 00:15:37,240 bitch boot camp, which-- 358 00:15:37,284 --> 00:15:38,720 Bad-ass bitch boot camp. 359 00:15:38,763 --> 00:15:41,941 --I will tell you is just incredibly embarrassing. 360 00:15:41,984 --> 00:15:44,769 I agreed to this because now that I'm not drinking 361 00:15:44,813 --> 00:15:48,556 the Kool-Aid, it's so clear to me how she recruited me, 362 00:15:48,599 --> 00:15:50,601 and how she used my values against me, 363 00:15:50,645 --> 00:15:52,125 and how she lied to me. 364 00:15:52,168 --> 00:15:54,954 So we've heard stories of other women who were in DOS 365 00:15:54,997 --> 00:15:58,000 and what they were asked to do to their masters. 366 00:15:58,044 --> 00:15:59,654 Right. 367 00:15:59,697 --> 00:16:01,917 You had to respond within 60 seconds if she texted you. 368 00:16:01,961 --> 00:16:02,787 Mm-hm. 369 00:16:02,831 --> 00:16:03,658 Day or night. 370 00:16:03,701 --> 00:16:04,789 Correct. 371 00:16:04,833 --> 00:16:06,443 What happens if it was 4:00 AM? 372 00:16:06,487 --> 00:16:07,575 You had to respond. 373 00:16:07,618 --> 00:16:08,750 Yup. 374 00:16:08,793 --> 00:16:10,491 And what happened if you didn't? 375 00:16:10,534 --> 00:16:12,058 Well, the first time we didn't and there was a group failure 376 00:16:12,101 --> 00:16:14,277 in responding in a certain time, Lauren 377 00:16:14,321 --> 00:16:17,628 told us that there was going to be big consequences for her 378 00:16:17,672 --> 00:16:19,108 from her master. 379 00:16:19,152 --> 00:16:21,110 And we asked what. 380 00:16:21,154 --> 00:16:22,894 And she said that she was gonna be paddled. 381 00:16:22,938 --> 00:16:23,808 Paddled? 382 00:16:23,852 --> 00:16:25,375 Paddled-- like with a-- 383 00:16:25,419 --> 00:16:26,724 JANJA LALICH: Paddle. - With a paddle. 384 00:16:26,768 --> 00:16:27,943 JANJA LALICH: With a paddle. 385 00:16:27,987 --> 00:16:29,510 With, like, an SandM spanking paddle. 386 00:16:29,553 --> 00:16:32,469 And she told us that she was going to be put into a cage. 387 00:16:32,513 --> 00:16:34,210 Oh my god. 388 00:16:34,254 --> 00:16:36,212 And then our group decided that we we're all going to have 389 00:16:36,256 --> 00:16:38,258 the same consequence but worse. 390 00:16:38,301 --> 00:16:40,042 And she had-- I don't know-- three 391 00:16:40,086 --> 00:16:41,957 paddles or something like that, and we were going to 10. 392 00:16:42,001 --> 00:16:45,178 Now, luckily, I didn't have anyone from my little DOS group 393 00:16:45,221 --> 00:16:47,310 in Vancouver with me, otherwise I would have been paddled. 394 00:16:47,354 --> 00:16:48,050 Been paddled? 395 00:16:48,094 --> 00:16:49,225 Yup. 396 00:16:49,269 --> 00:16:50,966 But the other women in California 397 00:16:51,010 --> 00:16:53,969 and in Mexico, they paddled each other, videotaped it-- 398 00:16:54,013 --> 00:16:55,057 naked-- and sent it to-- 399 00:16:55,101 --> 00:16:56,493 JANJA LALICH: Naked? 400 00:16:56,537 --> 00:16:58,582 --naked, naked paddling-- sent that to Lauren, 401 00:16:58,626 --> 00:17:01,150 who sent it to her master, who now we know is Keith. 402 00:17:01,194 --> 00:17:01,933 Keith. 403 00:17:05,850 --> 00:17:07,591 SARAH EDMONDSON: And my major sticking point 404 00:17:07,635 --> 00:17:11,117 was Lauren told me that I had to agree to an initiation process 405 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,815 where I'd be getting a mark, like a tattoo. 406 00:17:13,858 --> 00:17:15,643 I said, I'm not going to do that because I 407 00:17:15,686 --> 00:17:17,471 don't want to commit to that. 408 00:17:17,514 --> 00:17:18,863 And that's what I told her. 409 00:17:18,907 --> 00:17:20,343 And she's like, but this is your commitment 410 00:17:20,387 --> 00:17:21,475 to your growth, which is never going to change, 411 00:17:21,518 --> 00:17:22,911 and it's going to remind you. 412 00:17:22,954 --> 00:17:24,956 It will be a physical mark of that commitment. 413 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:26,001 I said, what's it look like? 414 00:17:26,045 --> 00:17:27,263 She's like, I can't tell you. 415 00:17:27,307 --> 00:17:28,308 I said, do you have one? 416 00:17:28,351 --> 00:17:29,309 She says, yeah, it's right here. 417 00:17:29,352 --> 00:17:30,701 I'm like, why can't you show me? 418 00:17:30,745 --> 00:17:31,876 She's like, you can't see it until the night 419 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:33,095 of your initiation. 420 00:17:33,139 --> 00:17:34,749 I was like, I don't want a tattoo. 421 00:17:34,792 --> 00:17:36,316 And she's like, don't worry. 422 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:37,969 But I'm trusting her-- 423 00:17:38,013 --> 00:17:39,449 like I did with Mark, like I've done 424 00:17:39,493 --> 00:17:40,711 with everyone else in ESP-- that she 425 00:17:40,755 --> 00:17:42,365 knows something that I don't. 426 00:17:42,409 --> 00:17:46,848 I think about a day or two went by before I told her-- 427 00:17:46,891 --> 00:17:47,718 sure, I'm in. 428 00:17:47,762 --> 00:17:49,111 She's like, great. 429 00:17:49,155 --> 00:17:53,028 Now we have to collateralize your life 430 00:17:53,072 --> 00:17:54,290 to make sure that you're never going 431 00:17:54,334 --> 00:17:58,120 to speak about it to anybody. 432 00:17:58,164 --> 00:18:00,905 It sounds crazy, and I know to anyone from the outside 433 00:18:00,949 --> 00:18:02,559 would be like, but why would you give collateral? 434 00:18:02,603 --> 00:18:06,346 Collateral started years before in NXIVM as a concept 435 00:18:06,389 --> 00:18:10,350 that people use to help people keep their word. 436 00:18:10,393 --> 00:18:12,569 So, like, I'm going to go to the gym everyday this week, 437 00:18:12,613 --> 00:18:15,050 and if I don't, I'm putting this collateral on the table-- 438 00:18:15,094 --> 00:18:16,704 I don't know, $100. 439 00:18:16,747 --> 00:18:18,445 And if I don't go to the gym, I'm going to give 440 00:18:18,488 --> 00:18:21,230 that to my friend Janja-- 441 00:18:21,274 --> 00:18:22,492 that kind of thing, very simple. 442 00:18:22,536 --> 00:18:24,146 Then it started to get more painful. 443 00:18:24,190 --> 00:18:25,800 If I don't go to the gym, I'm going 444 00:18:25,843 --> 00:18:28,107 to sleep on the floor for a week or have cold showers 445 00:18:28,150 --> 00:18:29,543 for the month-- yeah. 446 00:18:29,586 --> 00:18:30,892 So in the moment of choosing to go to the gym 447 00:18:30,935 --> 00:18:32,459 or not go to the gym, you go to the gym 448 00:18:32,502 --> 00:18:36,202 because the thought of the pain of the painful thing 449 00:18:36,245 --> 00:18:37,768 that you've committed to would be worse. 450 00:18:37,812 --> 00:18:38,552 The consequence. 451 00:18:38,595 --> 00:18:40,162 The consequence. 452 00:18:40,206 --> 00:18:42,338 The first thing was to ruin my reputation as an actress 453 00:18:42,382 --> 00:18:44,340 is I had to do a nude photo. 454 00:18:44,384 --> 00:18:46,473 So she has one nude photo of me. 455 00:18:46,516 --> 00:18:48,605 I gave her a damaging letter. 456 00:18:48,649 --> 00:18:50,390 My letter said, I, Sarah Edmondson, blah, blah, 457 00:18:50,433 --> 00:18:52,609 blah in my 20s a bunch of indiscretions. 458 00:18:52,653 --> 00:18:55,177 Then I had to do videos. 459 00:18:55,221 --> 00:18:56,961 And in four separate videos, I [bleep] 460 00:18:57,005 --> 00:19:00,748 talked all of the most important members of my family. 461 00:19:00,791 --> 00:19:04,055 [music playing] 462 00:19:08,016 --> 00:19:11,672 So I was in Albany at Allison Mack's house 463 00:19:11,715 --> 00:19:16,285 with a group of women and Lauren Salzman. 464 00:19:16,329 --> 00:19:19,810 And we were told to take off our clothes. 465 00:19:19,854 --> 00:19:23,031 We were shuffled into a tiny, little guest room. 466 00:19:23,074 --> 00:19:27,775 Then we saw a medical table, like a massage table. 467 00:19:27,818 --> 00:19:29,255 The first woman laid down on the table. 468 00:19:35,565 --> 00:19:39,482 I found out I was not getting a tattoo. 469 00:19:39,526 --> 00:19:40,527 I was going to be branded. 470 00:19:49,666 --> 00:19:53,061 So we're all naked with this woman 471 00:19:53,104 --> 00:19:56,325 having her flesh seared open, and she is freaking out. 472 00:19:56,369 --> 00:19:57,805 She's-- she's like-- I remember thinking she 473 00:19:57,848 --> 00:20:00,634 was like a-- like a stuck pig. 474 00:20:00,677 --> 00:20:03,158 We were holding her so she would stay still 475 00:20:03,202 --> 00:20:05,508 or the line would have been jagged. 476 00:20:05,552 --> 00:20:09,251 And she is crying, twisting, and turning. 477 00:20:09,295 --> 00:20:11,297 And I said to Lauren, I don't want to do this. 478 00:20:11,340 --> 00:20:13,864 You told me I was getting a tattoo. 479 00:20:13,908 --> 00:20:15,301 She's like, it's like a tattoo. 480 00:20:15,344 --> 00:20:16,650 It's a brand, and it's so beautiful. 481 00:20:16,693 --> 00:20:17,738 This is what-- 482 00:20:17,781 --> 00:20:19,914 I don't want that on my body. 483 00:20:19,957 --> 00:20:21,916 I could have walked out naked into the street 484 00:20:21,959 --> 00:20:24,135 and figured out how to get a cab. 485 00:20:24,179 --> 00:20:25,920 It was not an option for me because she 486 00:20:25,963 --> 00:20:27,051 had all this [bleep] on me. 487 00:20:27,095 --> 00:20:28,401 She had my nude photo. 488 00:20:28,444 --> 00:20:29,489 She had my videos. 489 00:20:29,532 --> 00:20:31,230 She had my written confessional. 490 00:20:31,273 --> 00:20:34,537 And then on top of that, she was using my values against me. 491 00:20:34,581 --> 00:20:36,583 You need to do this because you committed to this, 492 00:20:36,626 --> 00:20:38,933 and this is what you need to be the strongest 493 00:20:38,976 --> 00:20:41,283 version of yourself, and to save your marriage, 494 00:20:41,327 --> 00:20:43,154 and be a good mom. 495 00:20:43,198 --> 00:20:46,375 And I trusted her in that. 496 00:20:46,419 --> 00:20:48,769 The point, they said, of the whole branding 497 00:20:48,812 --> 00:20:52,338 is to do something character building to build your capacity 498 00:20:52,381 --> 00:20:54,165 to experience pain, to experience 499 00:20:54,209 --> 00:20:57,125 your body as separate from your self 500 00:20:57,168 --> 00:21:00,346 so that you could do anything. 501 00:21:00,389 --> 00:21:02,609 And I said, to myself, lay down on the table. 502 00:21:02,652 --> 00:21:03,653 You said you were going to do it. 503 00:21:03,697 --> 00:21:05,264 Suck it up. Don't be a wimp. 504 00:21:05,307 --> 00:21:07,701 Get on the table and just do it. 505 00:21:07,744 --> 00:21:09,006 I lay on the table. 506 00:21:09,050 --> 00:21:10,573 I'm like, I'm can [bleep] do this. 507 00:21:10,617 --> 00:21:11,574 I can [bleep] do it. 508 00:21:11,618 --> 00:21:14,011 And I laid totally still. 509 00:21:14,055 --> 00:21:15,317 I think when people think branding, 510 00:21:15,361 --> 00:21:16,971 they think there's a stamp. 511 00:21:17,014 --> 00:21:18,668 And then there's just going to be a metal thing that 512 00:21:18,712 --> 00:21:20,104 goes like this on your flesh. 513 00:21:20,148 --> 00:21:23,107 And it sears your flesh, and you take it away. 514 00:21:23,151 --> 00:21:25,153 I don't think people can imagine what it's 515 00:21:25,196 --> 00:21:29,505 like to have your skin seared open by a hot cauterizing 516 00:21:29,549 --> 00:21:33,117 iron for 40 or 45 minutes. 517 00:21:33,161 --> 00:21:35,163 It was the most excruciating pain ever, 518 00:21:35,206 --> 00:21:36,425 ever felt in my life. 519 00:21:36,469 --> 00:21:37,731 And then, of course, when I opened my eyes, 520 00:21:37,774 --> 00:21:39,167 there's Lauren looking down at me going, 521 00:21:39,210 --> 00:21:41,387 you're doing so great! 522 00:21:41,430 --> 00:21:42,910 And I'm weeping, and she's weeping. 523 00:21:42,953 --> 00:21:45,608 And everyone's like, oh my god, this is amazing. 524 00:21:45,652 --> 00:21:48,829 And then I go from, before, everything in my body saying 525 00:21:48,872 --> 00:21:51,048 get the [bleep] out of here-- 526 00:21:51,092 --> 00:21:52,223 run! 527 00:21:52,267 --> 00:21:53,964 And then going, no, you got to do. 528 00:21:54,008 --> 00:21:55,923 You got to do this because you said you were going to do it. 529 00:21:55,966 --> 00:21:58,534 And that doing it and going, that was amazing! 530 00:21:58,578 --> 00:22:00,884 Oh my god, I can't believe it! 531 00:22:00,928 --> 00:22:02,103 I just overcame the worst pain! 532 00:22:06,673 --> 00:22:10,503 Initially, you had said, after you were branded, 533 00:22:10,546 --> 00:22:12,722 you actually felt proud that you had gone through this. 534 00:22:12,766 --> 00:22:14,245 Yeah, I went through this thing. 535 00:22:14,289 --> 00:22:15,029 It was painful. 536 00:22:15,072 --> 00:22:16,030 It was awful. 537 00:22:16,073 --> 00:22:17,684 I wanted to leave. 538 00:22:17,727 --> 00:22:19,686 Then I stuck it through, and I did feel proud of myself 539 00:22:19,729 --> 00:22:21,514 for not bailing. 540 00:22:21,557 --> 00:22:25,039 By the time you're that far in and you've so internalized 541 00:22:25,082 --> 00:22:28,521 the belief system, you believe that this is what you need 542 00:22:28,564 --> 00:22:32,525 to do in order to reach whatever that level is that they're 543 00:22:32,568 --> 00:22:35,963 promising you and in order to respect, you know, 544 00:22:36,006 --> 00:22:39,009 your revered leader. 545 00:22:39,053 --> 00:22:40,402 SARAH EDMONDSON: I walked around thinking, 546 00:22:40,446 --> 00:22:42,535 I did that even though I didn't want to, 547 00:22:42,578 --> 00:22:45,320 which is the whole thing that Keith has taught us. 548 00:22:45,364 --> 00:22:47,148 As women, if we don't want to do it, we don't do it, 549 00:22:47,191 --> 00:22:49,629 and that's so flaky and indulgent. 550 00:22:49,672 --> 00:22:51,413 And I did it. 551 00:22:51,457 --> 00:22:54,068 I'm feeling love for Lauren and love for these women I 552 00:22:54,111 --> 00:22:55,983 just endured this trauma with. 553 00:22:56,026 --> 00:22:59,508 It put me into a place of pride. 554 00:22:59,552 --> 00:23:04,818 And that was so great, until I realized what the symbol was. 555 00:23:04,861 --> 00:23:08,256 There's this whole description of what all the lines meant. 556 00:23:08,299 --> 00:23:11,433 But, really, it was Keith's initials. 557 00:23:14,567 --> 00:23:17,613 I have [bleep] Keith's initials on my [bleep] crotch. 558 00:23:22,270 --> 00:23:24,403 The first person I told was Mark. 559 00:23:24,446 --> 00:23:26,709 MARK VICENTE: She said to me, it's really bad, 560 00:23:26,753 --> 00:23:29,408 and she started telling me, like, everything. 561 00:23:37,328 --> 00:23:42,508 And I was [bleep] horrified because I was, like, what 562 00:23:42,551 --> 00:23:45,249 the [bleep] are they doing? 563 00:23:45,293 --> 00:23:46,250 And she said, I can't-- 564 00:23:46,294 --> 00:23:47,687 I can't leave. 565 00:23:47,730 --> 00:23:49,079 I'm like, what do you mean you can't leave? 566 00:23:49,123 --> 00:23:51,038 And she says, they have all this [bleep] on me. 567 00:23:51,081 --> 00:23:52,474 I was so angry. 568 00:23:52,518 --> 00:23:55,434 They burnt her with his initials. 569 00:23:55,477 --> 00:23:59,350 They did that to somebody I brought in who trusted me. 570 00:23:59,394 --> 00:24:00,787 And then I thought, how many other girls 571 00:24:00,830 --> 00:24:02,919 are in this position? 572 00:24:02,963 --> 00:24:05,966 And I say to Sarah, OK, I'm resigning. 573 00:24:06,009 --> 00:24:10,144 And she starts, like, feeling very emotional and very upset 574 00:24:10,187 --> 00:24:11,798 because it's a huge thing. 575 00:24:11,841 --> 00:24:15,758 We've been business partners and, like, friends for years. 576 00:24:15,802 --> 00:24:17,586 And I told her, you need to get out. 577 00:24:17,630 --> 00:24:20,763 You need to make peace with whatever material 578 00:24:20,807 --> 00:24:22,504 they have on you and whatever [bleep] you've 579 00:24:22,548 --> 00:24:24,201 said that you've recorded. 580 00:24:24,245 --> 00:24:25,942 You need to make peace with it, and you need to get out. 581 00:24:25,986 --> 00:24:28,075 This is dangerous. 582 00:24:28,118 --> 00:24:30,469 And I told her this is [bleep] trafficking. 583 00:24:30,512 --> 00:24:33,341 And then she was saying, Anthony doesn't know. 584 00:24:33,384 --> 00:24:34,690 And I said, you need to tell him. 585 00:24:40,217 --> 00:24:45,135 When I first saw the brand, I wanted to break [bleep].. 586 00:24:45,179 --> 00:24:47,660 I was appalled. 587 00:24:47,703 --> 00:24:51,228 I mean, I was like, how the [bleep] could this happen? 588 00:24:51,272 --> 00:24:53,317 I'm taking my wife and my kid, and I'm getting the [bleep] 589 00:24:53,361 --> 00:24:54,623 out of here. 590 00:24:54,667 --> 00:24:55,842 And you guys might be in criminal trouble. 591 00:24:55,885 --> 00:24:59,106 [music playing] 592 00:25:01,674 --> 00:25:04,111 I needed to wake up to what was actually 593 00:25:04,154 --> 00:25:05,678 going on in this company. 594 00:25:05,721 --> 00:25:08,158 And when I had that recognition of what it was actually 595 00:25:08,202 --> 00:25:12,075 a part of and I stopped drinking the Kool-Aid, 596 00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:12,946 I knew that I had to leave. 597 00:25:16,471 --> 00:25:19,518 Keith really thought that this whole collateral thing would 598 00:25:19,561 --> 00:25:21,432 just stop people from talking. 599 00:25:21,476 --> 00:25:23,826 And it didn't. 600 00:25:23,870 --> 00:25:25,480 And I'm not going to stop talking about it 601 00:25:25,524 --> 00:25:28,048 until Keith is held responsible. 602 00:25:28,091 --> 00:25:32,443 Do you feel like you're on a mission to undo something? 603 00:25:32,487 --> 00:25:33,662 Yes. 604 00:25:33,706 --> 00:25:34,663 That's a-- sorry. 605 00:25:39,276 --> 00:25:40,669 I have to-- 606 00:25:40,713 --> 00:25:43,542 I have to undo it as best as I can. 607 00:25:43,585 --> 00:25:44,455 I can't just walk away. 608 00:25:49,069 --> 00:25:51,375 ELIZABETH VARGAS: The night of the branding, 609 00:25:51,419 --> 00:25:52,725 where did that happen? 610 00:25:52,768 --> 00:25:53,856 SARAH EDMONDSON: The actual branding itself 611 00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:55,118 was at Allison Mack's home 612 00:25:55,162 --> 00:25:56,380 ELIZABETH VARGAS: Allison Mack's home. 613 00:25:56,424 --> 00:25:58,165 SARAH EDMONDSON: Mm-hm. 614 00:25:58,208 --> 00:25:59,601 ELIZABETH VARGAS: And there's been a lot said about the fact 615 00:25:59,645 --> 00:26:02,473 that the brand shows Keith Raniere's initials-- 616 00:26:02,517 --> 00:26:03,779 KR. 617 00:26:03,823 --> 00:26:05,607 They also show Allison Mack's initials-- 618 00:26:05,651 --> 00:26:07,000 AM. 619 00:26:07,043 --> 00:26:07,914 It appears to be that way. 620 00:26:13,093 --> 00:26:15,225 I saw the AM before I saw the KR. 621 00:26:15,269 --> 00:26:16,487 ELIZABETH VARGAS: You did? 622 00:26:16,531 --> 00:26:19,621 SARAH EDMONDSON: I saw the AM first. 623 00:26:19,665 --> 00:26:21,275 When I left, I thought the branding 624 00:26:21,318 --> 00:26:24,365 was the most horrific abuse that was happening in NXIVM. 625 00:26:24,408 --> 00:26:26,802 I actually think that the branding doesn't even 626 00:26:26,846 --> 00:26:29,152 compare to the other emotional abuses that 627 00:26:29,196 --> 00:26:31,154 have been going on for decades. 628 00:26:31,198 --> 00:26:36,290 So once I left, I heard about Keith using sex 629 00:26:36,333 --> 00:26:38,466 as a means to control people. 630 00:26:38,509 --> 00:26:40,773 MARK VICENTE: My knowledge about him sleeping with all the girls 631 00:26:40,816 --> 00:26:43,514 was that there was a few. 632 00:26:43,558 --> 00:26:48,258 I didn't understand that it was dozens, 20, 30-- 633 00:26:48,302 --> 00:26:49,825 like, a lot. 634 00:26:49,869 --> 00:26:51,087 SARAH EDMONDSON: I've heard of women-- 635 00:26:51,131 --> 00:26:53,089 many women-- signing lifelong vows 636 00:26:53,133 --> 00:26:54,656 to only have sex with Keith. 637 00:26:54,700 --> 00:26:56,919 I don't have a problem, necessarily, with somebody 638 00:26:56,963 --> 00:26:59,269 saying they want to have a swinger lifestyle. 639 00:26:59,313 --> 00:27:04,405 But don't convince a girl that having sex with you 640 00:27:04,448 --> 00:27:07,843 is the thing she needs to do for her own growth. 641 00:27:07,887 --> 00:27:11,151 [music playing] 642 00:27:16,722 --> 00:27:18,593 SARAH EDMONDSON: I don't think it's OK for a man who's 643 00:27:18,637 --> 00:27:21,683 the leader of a philosophical movement to be sleeping 644 00:27:21,727 --> 00:27:24,773 with all of the higher ranks within his company 645 00:27:24,817 --> 00:27:27,341 and his students within the company. 646 00:27:27,384 --> 00:27:29,952 It's a conflict of interest because they're there to learn. 647 00:27:29,996 --> 00:27:31,737 And then you have the person who's 648 00:27:31,780 --> 00:27:35,654 teaching them having sex with them as part of their growth? 649 00:27:35,697 --> 00:27:37,046 If that's what he wants to do, that should 650 00:27:37,090 --> 00:27:39,527 be on their [bleep] web site. 651 00:27:39,570 --> 00:27:43,096 This is the level of growth through sex with the leader. 652 00:27:43,139 --> 00:27:47,666 Keith has been able to continue on with these types of abuses 653 00:27:47,709 --> 00:27:51,974 because nobody talks about it. 654 00:27:52,018 --> 00:27:54,542 So I did an interview with "The New York Times" 655 00:27:54,585 --> 00:27:57,371 to be a whistle-blower. 656 00:27:57,414 --> 00:27:58,894 There is two goals-- 657 00:27:58,938 --> 00:28:02,115 educating the world and helping people on the inside 658 00:28:02,158 --> 00:28:04,944 see what they were involved with. 659 00:28:04,987 --> 00:28:08,469 NXIVM is Keith's sick, perverted fantasy 660 00:28:08,512 --> 00:28:12,691 to get people to do what he wants, to bend to his will. 661 00:28:12,734 --> 00:28:16,085 But unfortunately, people inside NXIVM, didn't believe me. 662 00:28:16,129 --> 00:28:17,870 Keith denied everything. 663 00:28:25,399 --> 00:28:27,880 There's no world where Keith didn't know this is going on. 664 00:28:27,923 --> 00:28:29,403 It's impossible. 665 00:28:29,446 --> 00:28:33,581 I think DOS is the culmination of Keith's madness 666 00:28:33,624 --> 00:28:36,540 that he started decades ago. 667 00:28:36,584 --> 00:28:39,674 Keith Raniere denied that he had anything to do with DOS. 668 00:28:39,718 --> 00:28:41,154 Correct. 669 00:28:41,197 --> 00:28:45,027 And yet, the night you were branded, each of you 670 00:28:45,071 --> 00:28:46,768 took turns holding an iPhone-- 671 00:28:46,812 --> 00:28:48,378 Lauren's iPhone. 672 00:28:48,422 --> 00:28:51,077 --Lauren's iPhone to videotape to tape the branding. 673 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:52,731 Yep. 674 00:28:52,774 --> 00:28:54,820 And during the time that you were holding the phone, 675 00:28:54,863 --> 00:28:55,690 Keith texted Lauren. 676 00:28:55,734 --> 00:28:57,170 Keith texted Lauren. 677 00:28:57,213 --> 00:29:00,913 That's when the initial seed was planted of, wow, 678 00:29:00,956 --> 00:29:02,610 this is not what I thought it was. 679 00:29:02,653 --> 00:29:05,569 And so a text came through from KAR, 680 00:29:05,613 --> 00:29:07,136 so then I've confirmed it was Keith 681 00:29:07,180 --> 00:29:09,225 Allen Raniere saying, how are they 682 00:29:09,269 --> 00:29:10,879 all doing with each other-- 683 00:29:10,923 --> 00:29:12,315 to Lauren. 684 00:29:12,359 --> 00:29:13,882 And it's because you were holding phone. 685 00:29:13,926 --> 00:29:15,579 SARAH EDMONDSON: I was holding Lauren's phone filming. 686 00:29:15,623 --> 00:29:17,190 ELIZABETH VARGAS: But you see that she happened to catch-- 687 00:29:17,233 --> 00:29:18,669 JANJA LALICH: Right, yeah. - Yes 688 00:29:18,713 --> 00:29:20,410 --the fact that he knew full well what was going 689 00:29:20,454 --> 00:29:22,282 on in Allison Mack's townhouse - Yeah, that's interesting. 690 00:29:22,325 --> 00:29:23,544 Yeah. 691 00:29:23,587 --> 00:29:25,154 But when I initially came out and I 692 00:29:25,198 --> 00:29:26,939 wasn't going to say anything, and then 693 00:29:26,982 --> 00:29:28,941 when I did talk about it and tried to share that with people 694 00:29:28,984 --> 00:29:32,074 to try to get them out, they would say, well, how do we know 695 00:29:32,118 --> 00:29:33,336 that the text came from Keith? 696 00:29:33,380 --> 00:29:34,468 Can you duplicate that? 697 00:29:34,511 --> 00:29:35,948 I didn't see it. 698 00:29:35,991 --> 00:29:37,166 It wasn't proof. 699 00:29:37,210 --> 00:29:38,777 You know, this is obviously a crisis 700 00:29:38,820 --> 00:29:40,517 moment for the organization. 701 00:29:40,561 --> 00:29:44,695 And this is a time when a number of people might leave, 702 00:29:44,739 --> 00:29:47,829 but those people who stay become even 703 00:29:47,873 --> 00:29:49,352 more fervent in their beliefs. 704 00:29:49,396 --> 00:29:50,745 But what is that? 705 00:29:50,789 --> 00:29:52,225 JANJA LALICH: That's cognitive dissonance. 706 00:29:52,268 --> 00:29:55,837 It's when reality doesn't meet your belief system. 707 00:29:55,881 --> 00:29:59,885 Nine times out of 10, you're going to retain your thinking 708 00:29:59,928 --> 00:30:01,625 with the belief system rather than 709 00:30:01,669 --> 00:30:04,759 change your reality because that's the safer way to go. 710 00:30:04,803 --> 00:30:08,763 It's just so much easier to just hunker down 711 00:30:08,807 --> 00:30:10,460 and stay with what you know. 712 00:30:10,504 --> 00:30:13,812 [music playing] 713 00:30:16,466 --> 00:30:18,251 SARAH EDMONDSON: I have spent so many years 714 00:30:18,294 --> 00:30:20,862 promoting and recruiting for this group, 715 00:30:20,906 --> 00:30:25,693 and singing his praises, and saying that it's good. 716 00:30:25,736 --> 00:30:29,697 I regret putting my life force behind a sociopathic, 717 00:30:29,740 --> 00:30:32,874 narcissistic, nut-job. 718 00:30:32,918 --> 00:30:36,399 I absolutely feel like I sent people into the lion's den. 719 00:30:36,443 --> 00:30:39,185 I brought so many people into NXIVM. 720 00:30:39,228 --> 00:30:41,274 The people I enrolled and the people they enrolled 721 00:30:41,317 --> 00:30:44,103 is just under or just over 2000 people. 722 00:30:44,146 --> 00:30:46,496 And the more that I hear their stories, 723 00:30:46,540 --> 00:30:48,977 the more I regret being a sales person. 724 00:30:49,021 --> 00:30:50,892 Some of those people aren't even talking to me. 725 00:30:50,936 --> 00:30:54,113 And they were friends of mine from way before this. 726 00:30:54,156 --> 00:30:57,029 I feel especially responsible to make amends with the people 727 00:30:57,072 --> 00:30:57,768 that I got in. 728 00:31:04,732 --> 00:31:07,604 [music playing] 729 00:31:09,824 --> 00:31:15,221 In the entire 12 years that I was NXIVM, the outside world-- 730 00:31:15,264 --> 00:31:16,831 also known as the real world-- 731 00:31:16,875 --> 00:31:20,617 said that I was in a cult. And we joked about that-- 732 00:31:20,661 --> 00:31:22,097 that if we were in a cult, it was 733 00:31:22,141 --> 00:31:25,231 a great cult of happy, successful, joyful people. 734 00:31:25,274 --> 00:31:28,016 And I was totally happy with my cult. 735 00:31:28,060 --> 00:31:33,935 I was originally enrolled into NXIVM because I found this web 736 00:31:33,979 --> 00:31:37,547 site and I saw Sarah Edmondson's face who I knew 737 00:31:37,591 --> 00:31:39,810 and I recognized immediately. 738 00:31:39,854 --> 00:31:43,597 If she's a part of this, I'm in. 739 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:44,815 I don't have the money, but I will 740 00:31:44,859 --> 00:31:46,426 make room on my credit card. 741 00:31:46,469 --> 00:31:50,386 And I will put all my savings into this because this 742 00:31:50,430 --> 00:31:52,084 could change my life. 743 00:31:52,127 --> 00:31:55,217 [music playing] 744 00:31:55,261 --> 00:31:57,741 SARAH EDMONDSON: Jen Kobelt was a student of mine. 745 00:31:57,785 --> 00:32:00,919 She came to me, and then I enrolled her into an intensive. 746 00:32:00,962 --> 00:32:03,704 And she loved it and wanted to become a coach. 747 00:32:03,747 --> 00:32:06,968 She was somebody that I personally mentored. 748 00:32:07,012 --> 00:32:10,319 I felt very responsible for her. 749 00:32:10,363 --> 00:32:13,061 She's somebody who I feel incredibly 750 00:32:13,105 --> 00:32:16,064 guilty about because I found out after we all left that she was 751 00:32:16,108 --> 00:32:17,370 part of the fright experiment. 752 00:32:21,678 --> 00:32:23,854 JENNIFER KOBELT: One day while I was living in Albany, 753 00:32:23,898 --> 00:32:28,598 my friend at NXIVM comes to me and says, we're doing a study, 754 00:32:28,642 --> 00:32:30,252 and we're looking for 100 participants. 755 00:32:30,296 --> 00:32:33,342 And I've been tasked with bringing them all together. 756 00:32:33,386 --> 00:32:35,170 Would you be a part of it? 757 00:32:35,214 --> 00:32:38,217 And I said, sure, of course. 758 00:32:38,260 --> 00:32:39,914 I didn't know it was an experiment. 759 00:32:43,309 --> 00:32:44,832 Yeah, I don't know. 760 00:32:44,875 --> 00:32:48,009 I'm just-- every time I talk about it, it's just hard. 761 00:32:48,053 --> 00:32:49,750 It's just really hard to talk about. 762 00:32:49,793 --> 00:32:52,100 It's like my whole body is, like, just having 763 00:32:52,144 --> 00:32:55,408 these little tremors because I know where we're going, 764 00:32:55,451 --> 00:32:56,539 and I've lived through all of this. 765 00:32:59,716 --> 00:33:03,590 When it came time, I trusted the doctor in NXIVM administering 766 00:33:03,633 --> 00:33:06,375 it as a doctor and as a friend. 767 00:33:06,419 --> 00:33:10,901 He's got the brain wave machine there and a TV screen set up. 768 00:33:10,945 --> 00:33:12,599 I get the brainwave cap on. 769 00:33:12,642 --> 00:33:15,167 I've got my finger monitor and whatever other little monitors. 770 00:33:15,210 --> 00:33:17,691 And then he said, OK, so I'm going to play you some clips. 771 00:33:17,734 --> 00:33:21,695 And in between, we'll just de-brief your experience. 772 00:33:21,738 --> 00:33:26,221 But at the time, I had no idea what I was going to witness. 773 00:33:26,265 --> 00:33:28,310 I didn't know how much it would affect me. 774 00:33:28,354 --> 00:33:29,007 He presses play. 775 00:33:32,706 --> 00:33:34,142 It wasn't a movie. 776 00:33:34,186 --> 00:33:34,925 This is real life. 777 00:33:39,887 --> 00:33:43,978 Four of the men reach down to the women on their knees. 778 00:33:44,022 --> 00:33:45,197 And they pulled out their machete 779 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:46,633 and just cut their heads off. 780 00:33:50,724 --> 00:33:53,857 It was so horrific. 781 00:33:53,901 --> 00:33:58,297 They just started cutting them up into pieces. 782 00:33:58,340 --> 00:34:01,996 And he said, how was that experience for you? 783 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:02,823 And I just sat there. 784 00:34:05,391 --> 00:34:07,523 It was so surreal that at one moment 785 00:34:07,567 --> 00:34:11,440 they were humans, and the next moment they were bodies. 786 00:34:11,484 --> 00:34:16,663 I-- I still think I have some PTSD stuff. 787 00:34:16,706 --> 00:34:17,968 Me too. 788 00:34:18,012 --> 00:34:21,015 I devoted most of my income to this. 789 00:34:21,059 --> 00:34:25,106 And when I first left, I had pretty much nothing. 790 00:34:25,150 --> 00:34:27,456 You weren't treated well. 791 00:34:27,500 --> 00:34:31,025 Not just by the upper ranks, but by me 792 00:34:31,069 --> 00:34:33,680 and by so many people who just [bleep] 793 00:34:33,723 --> 00:34:36,074 on your beautiful, shining spirit. 794 00:34:36,117 --> 00:34:36,683 I'm so sorry. 795 00:34:42,950 --> 00:34:46,736 I regret having people spend money 796 00:34:46,780 --> 00:34:50,392 on a program that systematically destroys their life 797 00:34:50,436 --> 00:34:52,394 and calls it growth. 798 00:34:52,438 --> 00:34:56,050 Doctor, I wanted to get some of your reaction to this. 799 00:34:56,094 --> 00:34:59,706 Why would anybody do an experiment like that? 800 00:34:59,749 --> 00:35:02,665 Well, a cult's goal, or a cult leaders goal, 801 00:35:02,709 --> 00:35:05,886 is to enforce conformity and compliance. 802 00:35:05,929 --> 00:35:08,236 But how do you do that with a snuff film? 803 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:14,242 By seeing such a horrendous, violent, traumatic video, 804 00:35:14,286 --> 00:35:18,159 they're able to monitor the reaction of the person. 805 00:35:18,203 --> 00:35:21,597 They're hopefully desensitizing the person for further abuse 806 00:35:21,641 --> 00:35:23,295 to come. 807 00:35:23,338 --> 00:35:27,342 So it's a way to measure a person's ability to either move 808 00:35:27,386 --> 00:35:29,823 to the next level or not. 809 00:35:29,866 --> 00:35:31,433 And it's also just sick. 810 00:35:31,477 --> 00:35:32,652 It's really sick. 811 00:35:32,695 --> 00:35:34,175 It's really sick and evil, and it's 812 00:35:34,219 --> 00:35:36,351 a horrendous ethical violation. 813 00:35:36,395 --> 00:35:38,527 I mean, there's rules and regulations 814 00:35:38,571 --> 00:35:41,313 for scientific or medical experiments, 815 00:35:41,356 --> 00:35:43,315 and they violated all of that. 816 00:35:43,358 --> 00:35:46,666 And to blindly put someone into that is just absolute cruelty. 817 00:35:46,709 --> 00:35:50,060 [music playing] 818 00:35:54,239 --> 00:35:56,284 MAN: We're gonna begin, though, tonight with some breaking news 819 00:35:56,328 --> 00:35:57,416 involving NXIVM. 820 00:35:57,459 --> 00:35:58,895 The leader of an alleged sex cult 821 00:35:58,939 --> 00:36:00,375 has been arrested in Mexico. 822 00:36:00,419 --> 00:36:01,768 Keith Raniere is expected -- 823 00:36:01,811 --> 00:36:03,509 WOMAN: Investigators found Raniere hiding 824 00:36:03,552 --> 00:36:05,163 in a villa with several women in the popular Mexican resort 825 00:36:05,206 --> 00:36:06,642 town-- 826 00:36:06,686 --> 00:36:08,166 WOMAN 2: Keith Raniere, the founder of NXIVM, 827 00:36:08,209 --> 00:36:10,168 is accused of coercing women into being sex slaves. 828 00:36:10,211 --> 00:36:11,734 MAN: He's now facing federal charges, 829 00:36:11,778 --> 00:36:13,606 including sex trafficking. 830 00:36:13,649 --> 00:36:15,477 MAN 2: --collateral for their silence 831 00:36:15,521 --> 00:36:17,566 and even brand themselves with Raniere's initials. 832 00:36:17,610 --> 00:36:19,307 It's alleged-- 833 00:36:19,351 --> 00:36:21,701 --and child that he's ever harmed, abused, exploited-- 834 00:36:26,575 --> 00:36:30,318 When you first learned about this massive indictment, 835 00:36:30,362 --> 00:36:31,363 what are your emotions? 836 00:36:31,406 --> 00:36:33,234 Do you finally feel vindication? 837 00:36:33,278 --> 00:36:35,236 Do you feel triumph? 838 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,630 Do you feel shock? 839 00:36:37,673 --> 00:36:39,588 Because these are serious charges. 840 00:36:39,632 --> 00:36:41,068 Very serious charges. 841 00:36:41,111 --> 00:36:42,809 I feel all of the things you just said, mostly-- 842 00:36:45,725 --> 00:36:48,554 vindicated, yes, but also that justice 843 00:36:48,597 --> 00:36:52,297 is working finally, and after so many years. 844 00:36:52,340 --> 00:36:56,214 But I also feel safer knowing that he's, at least 845 00:36:56,257 --> 00:36:57,737 temporarily, behind bars. 846 00:36:57,780 --> 00:36:59,347 I do feel like I think I'm always going 847 00:36:59,391 --> 00:37:01,001 to be looking over my shoulder. 848 00:37:01,044 --> 00:37:02,698 For what? 849 00:37:02,742 --> 00:37:07,007 Even if he is in jail, there's this concept of flying monkeys 850 00:37:07,050 --> 00:37:11,011 that narcissists have people that do their bidding. 851 00:37:11,054 --> 00:37:13,927 And I've seen how people will follow 852 00:37:13,970 --> 00:37:17,278 whatever order he puts out, and that's frightening to me. 853 00:37:17,322 --> 00:37:21,848 This affidavit, I mean, part of it reads-- 854 00:37:21,891 --> 00:37:23,850 some of the masters gave their slaves 855 00:37:23,893 --> 00:37:26,287 assignments that either directly or implicitly 856 00:37:26,331 --> 00:37:30,726 required them to have sex with Raniere, which they then did. 857 00:37:30,770 --> 00:37:32,989 Other assignments appeared designed to groom 858 00:37:33,033 --> 00:37:35,775 slaves sexually for Raniere. 859 00:37:35,818 --> 00:37:38,734 And in another part, Raniere acknowledge to one DOS victim 860 00:37:38,778 --> 00:37:42,303 that his initials were incorporated into the brand 861 00:37:42,347 --> 00:37:44,784 as a form of tribute to him. 862 00:37:47,569 --> 00:37:49,310 It's not what it means to me anymore. 863 00:37:49,354 --> 00:37:51,704 But that's what it was intended for. 864 00:37:51,747 --> 00:37:53,488 Did anything surprise you in here? 865 00:37:53,532 --> 00:37:55,011 I read things in here that I hadn't 866 00:37:55,055 --> 00:37:56,099 heard of for the first time. 867 00:37:56,143 --> 00:37:57,797 ELIZABETH VARGAS: What? 868 00:37:57,840 --> 00:37:59,625 SARAH EDMONDSON: About the woman who was brought into a shack 869 00:37:59,668 --> 00:38:03,237 to have oral sex performed on her while she was blindfolded, 870 00:38:03,281 --> 00:38:05,457 and she didn't know who it was. 871 00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:09,112 I mean, that's disgusting. 872 00:38:09,156 --> 00:38:11,680 What would you say to Keith if you had the chance 873 00:38:11,724 --> 00:38:15,293 to say anything to him now? 874 00:38:15,336 --> 00:38:18,687 I would say that he messed with the wrong person. 875 00:38:18,731 --> 00:38:21,821 And that he, for such a brilliant man, 876 00:38:21,864 --> 00:38:23,779 made a big mistake. 877 00:38:23,823 --> 00:38:24,824 He underestimated you. 878 00:38:24,867 --> 00:38:27,783 He really underestimated me. 879 00:38:27,827 --> 00:38:32,527 And at the same time, part of me still feels badly. 880 00:38:32,571 --> 00:38:36,357 Isn't that bizarre that, like-- 881 00:38:36,401 --> 00:38:38,011 he's still a human, you know? 882 00:38:38,054 --> 00:38:40,753 He's still a human who is going to have a rough time, 883 00:38:40,796 --> 00:38:42,276 and I feel badly about that and anyone 884 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:43,625 who ends up going to jail. 885 00:38:43,669 --> 00:38:44,800 JANJA LALICH: You begin to doubt yourself. 886 00:38:44,844 --> 00:38:46,193 Yeah 887 00:38:46,236 --> 00:38:47,890 For someone who's been in as long as you were, 888 00:38:47,934 --> 00:38:49,936 you still hear that cult in your head every now and then. 889 00:38:49,979 --> 00:38:52,155 And you're free, but you're not free. 890 00:38:52,199 --> 00:38:54,332 And you're happy, but you're devastated. 891 00:38:54,375 --> 00:38:57,378 There's this incredible roller coaster of emotion. 892 00:38:57,422 --> 00:38:59,554 Absolutely. 893 00:38:59,598 --> 00:39:03,689 For me, the indictment is so beyond 894 00:39:03,732 --> 00:39:07,954 validating for my last year of hell that I've gone through. 895 00:39:07,997 --> 00:39:09,347 And it has been hell. 896 00:39:09,390 --> 00:39:14,221 And I've-- sorry. 897 00:39:14,264 --> 00:39:17,442 It has been a very hard fight, but I'm very-- 898 00:39:21,271 --> 00:39:23,143 ironically, the most principled thing I've ever 899 00:39:23,186 --> 00:39:27,408 done to stand up against him. 900 00:39:27,452 --> 00:39:32,239 But to see the affidavit and to see that from the FBI 901 00:39:32,282 --> 00:39:35,938 is so vindicating for everything that I fought for. 902 00:39:40,029 --> 00:39:42,162 I've heard through other people within NXIVM, 903 00:39:42,205 --> 00:39:44,469 especially since reading the affidavit from the FBI-- 904 00:39:44,512 --> 00:39:46,166 which is public-- 905 00:39:46,209 --> 00:39:48,037 that they're starting to ask questions of that the higher 906 00:39:48,081 --> 00:39:49,299 ranks can't answer. 907 00:39:49,343 --> 00:39:52,520 And the web of lies is falling apart. 908 00:39:52,564 --> 00:39:55,915 [music playing] 909 00:40:04,924 --> 00:40:07,840 Allison Mack was recruiting women from here in Brooklyn 910 00:40:07,883 --> 00:40:10,277 to join this so-called empowerment 911 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:13,976 group in upstate New York before turning them into sex slaves. 912 00:40:14,020 --> 00:40:15,456 WOMAN: She was arraigned in federal court 913 00:40:15,500 --> 00:40:18,807 on charges of sex trafficking and forced labor. 914 00:40:18,851 --> 00:40:23,029 MAN: Now Rainier and Mack could face 15 years to life in prison 915 00:40:23,072 --> 00:40:23,769 if convicted. 916 00:40:27,381 --> 00:40:28,904 SARAH EDMONDSON: The more that I try 917 00:40:28,948 --> 00:40:31,211 to unravel what happened to me and figure myself out 918 00:40:31,254 --> 00:40:33,431 and my life in the last 12 years, 919 00:40:33,474 --> 00:40:37,609 the more I'm just wanting to shout from the rooftops 920 00:40:37,652 --> 00:40:41,134 how important it is to shine a light on this type of abuse, 921 00:40:41,177 --> 00:40:46,226 and this type of group, and how anyone could fall 922 00:40:46,269 --> 00:40:49,272 victim to something like this. 923 00:40:49,316 --> 00:40:51,666 I believe that Keith's arrest is the beginning 924 00:40:51,710 --> 00:40:54,539 of the end for NXIVM. 925 00:40:54,582 --> 00:40:56,889 I've always wanted to have an impact in the world, 926 00:40:56,932 --> 00:41:01,241 and I didn't think it would be like this.