Albany attorney will represent Raniere in federal criminal case
Paul DerOhannesian is a former Albany County prosecutor
Updated 6:56 pm, Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Keith Raniere is pictured following his arrest by Mexican federal authorities this week. (Photo courtesy Frank Parlato/ArtVoice)
Keith Raniere is pictured following his arrest by Mexican federal authorities this week. (Photo courtesy Frank Parlato/ArtVoice)
NXIVM leader Keith Raniere and Allison Mack appear in a group of videos titled "Keith Raniere Conversations," that were published on YouTube on April 9, 2017. (Keith Raniere Conversations/YouTube)
NXIVM leader Keith Raniere and Allison Mack appear in a group of videos titled "Keith Raniere Conversations," that were published on YouTube on April 9, 2017. (Keith Raniere Conversations/YouTube)
An unidentified actress told federal authorities that she was subjected to sexual encounters with NXIVM founder Keith Raniere multiple times at this Halfmoon townhouse that was raided recently by the FBI. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union) less
An unidentified actress told federal authorities that she was subjected to sexual encounters with NXIVM founder Keith Raniere multiple times at this Halfmoon townhouse that was raided recently by the FBI. (Lori ... more
Photo: Lori Van Buren
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
TIMES UNION STAFF PHOTO WILL WALDRON--Nancy Salzman, NXIVM's president, during an interview Silver Bay Center on Lake George, for Vanguard week, Tuesday August 27, 2003.
TIMES UNION STAFF PHOTO WILL WALDRON--Nancy Salzman, NXIVM's president, during an interview Silver Bay Center on Lake George, for Vanguard week, Tuesday August 27, 2003.
Photo: WILL WALDRON
An FBI sniffer dog is brought to the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
An FBI sniffer dog is brought to the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
Federal complaint against Keith Raniere and NXIVM
Federal complaint against Keith Raniere and NXIVM
Photo: Crowley, Cathleen
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
Sarah Edmondson shows the brand she received as part of a secret sorority ritual while part of the self-help group Nxivm, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 27, 2017. Edmondson, who has left the group, and other former followers of Keith Raniere, the leader of the group, said they were focusing on recovering. There is no playbook for leaving a cult, Edmondson said. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times) ORG XMIT: XNYT176 less
Sarah Edmondson shows the brand she received as part of a secret sorority ritual while part of the self-help group Nxivm, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 27, 2017. Edmondson, who has left the ... more
Photo: RUTH FREMSON
FILE The offices of the Nxivm Executive Success Program in Albany, N.Y., July 31, 2017. Federal authorities in Mexico arrested Keith Raniere, the head of Nxivm, after he was charged in the U.S with forcing women to engage in sex, according to a complaint. (Nathaniel Brooks/The New York Times) less
FILE The offices of the Nxivm Executive Success Program in Albany, N.Y., July 31, 2017. Federal authorities in Mexico arrested Keith Raniere, the head of Nxivm, after he was charged in the U.S with forcing ... more
Photo: NATHANIEL BROOKS
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
FBI and state police take computers and other evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
An FBI sniffer dog is brought to the home NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
An FBI sniffer dog is brought to the home NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman which was raided by federal agents on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
There was no sign of activity at the NXIVM meeting place on Route 9 on Monday afternoon, March 26, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation, has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
There was no sign of activity at the NXIVM meeting place on Route 9 on Monday afternoon, March 26, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation, has been arrested by the FBI ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
Federal agents raid the home NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
Federal agents raid the home NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
Federal agents raid the home NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
Federal agents raid the home NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
Federal agents raid the home NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
Federal agents raid the home NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
FBI and state police gather evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
FBI and state police gather evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
FBI and state police gather evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the FBI based on a federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
FBI and state police gather evidence from the home of NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Halfmoon, N.Y. Keith Raniere, the co-founder of the NXIVM corporation has been arrested by the ... more
Photo: Will Waldron
ALBANY — Paul DerOhannesian, a criminal defense attorney from Albany, has been retained by Keith Raniere, the co-founder and leader of NXIVM who is facing federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit forced labor.
DerOhannesian, a former assistant district attorney in Albany, filed a notice in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Tuesday indicating he will represent Raniere in the case.
Raniere was arrested March 25 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on a federal criminal complaint filed in February by the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York. Raniere made his first court appearance March 27 in Fort Worth, Texas, and has been held at a federal prison in Oklahoma City for the past two weeks. He remains in the custody of U.S. marshals without bond and is being returned to Brooklyn in the coming days, according to people briefed on his case.
Raniere, 57, is the leader of an international "self-help" organization that has been headquartered in the Capital Region for roughly two decades and has been described by some experts as a cult.
The federal complaint alleges that Raniere took part in forming a secretive group within NXIVM in which women said they were coerced into joining a slave-master club. The women, some of whom said they were pressured to have sex with Raniere, told federal authorities that a female doctor associated with NXIVM used a cauterizing iron to brand them with a design on their lower abdomen that contained the initials of Raniere and Allison Mack, an actress and NXIVM associate who is listed in the complaint as an unnamed co-conspirator.
In court filings, U.S. Justice Department officials said that Raniere fled to Mexico last November when the federal investigation began. They have asked for him to be detained without bond while the case is pending, describing him as a flight risk and danger to the community.
The federal investigation has broadened beyond the slave-master club allegations. Two weeks ago, FBI agents searched the Saratoga County residence of NXIVM's president, Nancy Salzman.
Salzman is a registered nurse who has been listed as a co-founder of NXIVM.