Whither Tuesday...?
Yesterday's trial was cancelled due to one of the alternate jurors being sick. Without the jury present, the judge, prosecutors, and defense, discussed a motion about whether Kristin Keeffe could be brought to testify (for the prosecution) and whether evidence she had would be admissible. The issue is complicated for those not following the NXIVM group for a while, but is laid out here pretty simply. Essentially, the prosecution wants to introduce evidence through a law enforcement officer that was seized at Nancy Salzman's house. The defense says if the evidence is introduced, it should be introduced by the former NXIVM member, Ms. Keeffe, since she was at the center of it. I think this is just Mr. Agnifilo trying to complicate the prosecution's case. No ruling yet from the judge.
Filthy Scuzzbucket...
But we knew that already. Now, an excerpt from a video shown to jurors on Tuesday has been published on the NY Post website. The video was of Keith Raniere and Mark Vicente at Keith's 'sex lair' in upstate NY. We get a three minute glimpse into Raniere's sanctum sanctotum and, even more disturbing, into his twisted mind. The audio is difficult to discern, and the Post really glosses over the worst of the content. More in a moment.
Vicente Testimony Continues...
Trial resumed Wednesday morning with filmaker and former NXIVM executive on the stand testifying. Dianne Lipson is attending the trial for the FrankReport.com and is sharing notes and observations from the trial here. Today's testimony reveals Mr. Vicente's gradual epiphany that Raniere is a psychopath. It took him several years to come to that conclusion. I'm glad he's testifying now, and he does have an immunity agreement in return. Cross-examination of Vicente by the defense finally started this afternoon, but as of now I've seen no summaries or notes.
Back to the Video...
[highly offensive, but not graphic] Since the audio at the Post link is so tough to hear, Frank Parlato has provided us with a written transcript and commentary on what Keith was saying. That's the offensive part. We observe that he's pretty much entirely focused on sex and demeaning women. I'll leave it at that.
Don't Look, Ethel...
Jurors today were also shown pictures from "collateral files" that Allison Mack maintained from her "slave pod" on the DropBox website. The photos included graphic sexual images that the slaves were required to provide to their masters as 'collateral' against leaving NXIVM. They also included photos of the brands that Dr. Danielle Roberts burned into the victims' pubic area while other DOS slaves held them down. Only the jury saw the photos, but Mr. Vicente testified and named several of the women in the photos.
Quis custodiet custodes ipsos...?
For digging a little deeper, here is some background on the evidentiary documents the prosecution wants to introduce that await a ruling by Judge Garaufis. Years ago, as is their modus operandi, NXIVM leadership sought to destroy perceived 'enemies' through the court system. They hired a Canadian investigative firm called CanaProbe. Clare and Sarah Bronfman paid over a million dollars for them to dig up dirt on politicians, judges, reporters, and others (article from 2016). Bronfman later sued CanaProbe because apparently they were giving the Bronfman sisters fake info. Here is Part I of a multi-part timeline of CanaProbe dealings with NXIVM from Frank Parlato in 2017. Here is another multi-part report on NXIVM crimes that starts with an open letter to numerous State and Federal law enforcement officials, also from 2017. Links to follow on installments are at the bottom of the window. Parlato brings up CanaProbe in part II.
Schadenfreude...
One thing I'm really looking for is some reporting on Raniere's body language during testimony. No luck yet. The courtroom sketches will have to suffice, but I think I can squeeze a little schadenfreude out of this one. He might be trying to look bored, but I think the artist captured some inner turmoil. Misery?
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