Seduced: Ep. 4 “Exposed”

We open with India meeting with a plastic surgeon, Dr. John Sherman, to talk about getting her brand removed. She tells the doctor how it was done and that the person who did it was a physician. “Wow,” says Dr. Sherman, shocked to hear that. The surgical procedure is a long one since it has to be done in stages. India is disappointed. Intro

When we come back, we are with Catherine who tells us about receiving the call from former Nxivm member Bonnie Piesse. Bonnie informed her that India was too far gone to leave Nxivm of her own volition and she was in danger. “I think they are all having sex with Keith,” Bonnie told her. Catherine was desperate to get India out, she tells us.

In April of 2017, India was about 26 years old and had been in Nxivm for over six years and DOS for a year and a half. Allison had told India her line of slaves would be branded next. India says she viewed her brand as a positive thing, but she didn’t want to force anyone else to do it. She tells us Allison was “pushing her very hard.”

India flew home to L.A. for her bday. She tells us she wasn’t sure how she was going to handle her slaves and the branding.

Catherine was alarmed at India’s appearance. She was gaunt, her hair was falling out and she hadn’t had her period in a year. India agreed to go to a gyno appointment. In the car ride there, Catherine asked her if she was branded. India said yes and that it was a positive experience. Catherine told her the brand was of Keith’s initials. India didn’t believe her.

Then Catherine “blew it.” She told India she was brainwashed, Nxivm was a cult and she was in danger. None of that penetrated until Catherine brought up her collateral. India tells us she felt scared about that. But overall the conversation/intervention did nothing.

Once at the doctor, the gynecologist started asking India all these questions about life in Albany. She also checked out India’s brand and that really pissed India off. India felt set up. She flew back to Albany and no longer wanted to talk with her mother.

Catherine tells us India’s two dads–her bio dad and her step-dad–thought she was being alarmist about Nxivm. India says this was because she had successfully convinced them she was fine. “They didn’t like Keith, but they supported me.” That left Catherine on her own to fight this battle.

Catherine went to work. She called every person she could think of from the Albany FBI to an ex-navy seal she knew. India was of legal age. Even with collateral and blackmail hanging over her head, there wasn’t anything to be done. Catherine tells us that in the United States there are very few laws that address the issue of coercive control.

Catherine was afraid about potentially illegal things that India might be instructed to do. She could be seen as a perpetrator rather than a victim. The doc then shows us this rather creepy pic of Nicki Clyne and Allison Mack where Allison is smiling so hard she’s practically straining. India tells us that in 2017, Allison and Nicki got married so that Nicki, who is Canadian, could stay in America. They made me be the witness,” says India sounding resentful. It’s a federal crime to be an official witness to a fake marriage. The whole thing was Keith’s idea, of course.

We see the wedding picture of Allison and Nikki. Allison is pale and gaunt and once again, smiling so hard she looks like she’s about to shatter into a thousand pieces.

The End Begins

Mark Vicente and Bonnie Piesse left Nxivm in 2017. Former member Debora tells us she had told Mark about being approached about joining DOS. He also heard about the secret group from a couple of other members “…and he left Nxivm pretty quickly after that.”

Former member “Jill” says Sarah Edmonson and her husband Anthony “Nippy” Ames also resigned “very publicly.” Jill calls Nippy “a bit of a hothead” who had confronted Lauren Salzman–Nancy Salzman’s daughter and a 1st line master in DOS– about the secret group quite loudly and in front of a group of people.

We then linger quite a bit on a pic of Nippy where he looks like he’s possessed by the devil or something, as we hear recorded audio of his confrontation with Lauren. “This is criminal shit!” he yells at her. You know, Nippy is a handsome man. Finding a more flattering photo would not have been a problem. My feeling is if you want to say something about Nippy being a bad guy or possibly under demonic influence, I’d prefer it be done in a direct way. I can’t stand these passive aggressive shots that have been taken here and there in this series.

Nippy was one of the leaders of SOP. I think he might have Alpha male’d a little too close to the sun in that SOP intensive and someone was left with some hard feelings. India was a guest on Nippy and Sarah’s podcast “A Little Bit Culty” so, if there were some lingering resentments, they’re sorted now.

Catherine tells us she started working with ex-members of Nxivm and DOS as well as with Frank Parlato of the website the Frank Report. Frank was originally Keith’s PR guy, but the organization turned on him and pulled the usual shit. The Frank Report website was started for the purpose of fighting back against Nxivm.

Catherine shared with Frank about the brandings which he then wrote about on his site. This lead to a lot of chatter among Nxivm members who hadn’t known about the secret group. All of India’s slaves left as a result of Frank’s post so none got branded or had to complete “the seduction assignment.” India was relieved.

In 2017, India attended Vanguard week and noticed it was a much smaller group than previous ones. Everyone was told not to believe the stuff being posted online. We cut to footage of Keith sitting on a stage saying it’s hard to be around him because on one side he is trouble and the other side he is chaos. I am assuming this little speech was from V week. He seems relaxed, unfazed.

Out of desperation Catherine decided to go public and contact the press. Journalist Barry Meier of The New York Times wrote an article about Nxivm and interviewed several ex-members as well as Catherine. She hoped that law enforcement would step in as a result. Meier tells us that if the cult was just about ripping people off financially it would have been of less interest to people, but the brandings took it to a whole other level. Once the #MeToo movement started, Nxivm became very relevant.

Barry says the article was read by millions. We hear cuts of various news programs talking about the story, including mentioning that India is the daughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg of Dynasty fame. “It was like a bomb went off,” India says which resulted in a mass exodus of members. Reporters flocked to Albany requesting interviews. Nicki and Allison instructed all remaining DOS members to destroy any evidence of the existence of the group. Which, I’m going to assume, was a lot, if not all, of the collateral they had collected through the years.

Everyone was frantic. India was really mad and embarrassed by what had been written in the article. Former member Ashley said that when the media labeled Nxivm as a “sex cult,” everybody who had been associated with the organization was assumed to be a part of the sex stuff, too. She felt so much shame, grief and anger because of that she basically holed up in her house for 3 months.

I’m glad the doc included that bit. The series is so shaped to show India and Catherine in the most flattering light possible I’m surprised they did. The point is, so many people got caught up in the tide of Catherine’s publicity blitz. I suppose it was inevitable. The cult had to be brought down and DOS would always be what sparked public interest the most.

India was not remotely fazed by the press coverage so Catherine decided to do a second wave. We then see a clip of Catherine on the Megyn Kelly show as well as People TV, Daily Mail TV, 20/20… Quite a few actually.

I remember reading about the situation in People magazine. The problem with the word cult is it feels very remote and obscure. The article included a picture of India, sitting on a lounge chair and focused on her phone. She looked distracted but otherwise healthy. My reaction was like, “Hm, well, that’s strange and unfortunate.” But otherwise, it didn’t connect with me.

I think it’s hard to understand what it means to be sucked into a cult. Or, it was less understood back in 2017. With all the documentaries that have come out since 2020, I feel like people in general have a better understanding these days. There are plenty of people who prefer to just judge, which is their right, of course. But, to me, learning about how we can be vulnerable to manipulations, sometimes only because we assume good intentions, has been far more interesting.

Catherine told the media that India had spent her entire inheritance on the cult. Within the Nxivm community, India was being told her mother was crazy. She was also told that her mother was “just an actress looking for attention.” While India is talking we see many glamour shots of Catherine from way back in her Dynasty days.

Keith Is An Arrogant Idiot

Cult specialist Rick Ross tells us if Keith was capable of admitting mistakes he would have seen that keeping India in the fold was very bad for him. Indeed. If Keith wasn’t so arrogant he would have told India she needed to go home. He should have, for sure. But instead, Keith didn’t see Catherine as a threat. He did not. Keith always underestimates women. It’s amusing.

Keith told India that he was going to fix the bad press by making India “the poster child” for Nxivm. Wrong move, asshole. So wrong. Keith has such blind spots. Imagine how much more dangerous he would have been if he was just like, 35% less up his own ass. Keith, Nancy, Allison et al. told India to write a testimonial declaring she was safe, sound and loved DOS. She then posted it on her Facebook. Oh, that will take care of it. That won’t make India look like a brainwashed loon or anything.

Clare Bronfman paid for India to be evaluated by a psychiatrist, too. The conclusion was India was fine. Shocker. India gave authorization for the results to be released publicly. Oh, that won’t look desperate or anything. Everyone will totally buy that. Catherine tells us that Keith then released a statement to his followers, “Letter from the Co-Founder,” denying any involvement in DOS saying that it had no association with Nxivm.

Catherine talked with lawyers who told her that there was no doubt Keith and company were breaking the law. What she needed to do was to figure out which laws they were breaking. She was advised to put together a binder of evidence and testimonials from ex-members.

Lead prosecutor Moira Penza says after reading the NYT article she started an investigation with the FBI. They kept it under wraps though. They didn’t want Nxivm to be tipped off. Keith was a flight risk.

After Catherine had turned in her binders of gathered information to the Albany FBI, she was contacted by Moira Penza’s office to inform her about the formal investigation. It is kind of horrifying that Catherine Oxenberg basically had to act as lead detective herself before authorities informed her that Nxivm was being formally investigated. I get why they needed to keep it under wraps, but still.

In November of 2017, The Albany Times, having gotten a tip, reported about the FBI’s investigation into Nxivm. Keith took off for Mexico. His followers were told he had to leave the country because his life was being threatened.

Feeling increasingly alone in Albany, in February of 2018, India moved to Brooklyn, New York with Allison to live in Allison’s townhouse. And though India had left Albany and Keith was gone, she was still in DOS. Desperate to hold into something, India tells us, she and Allison stuck to the DOS rituals of starving, check-ins, readiness drills and so on.

We see a clip of India’s grandmother being interviewed by a reporter. She tried to visit India, but India refused to talk to her. Speaking in Spanish, Elizabeth tells a journalist she can’t get through to her granddaughter.

The Arrest

By mid-February of 2018, presumably unbeknownst to Keith, a warrant was issued for his arrest. Keith ordered Nicki, Allison and some other 1st Line Masters to come to Mexico to be with him. The reason being that there were all to participate in a re-commitment ceremony that “consisted of a group blow-job for [Keith],” Catherine tells us. She is incredulous that even as the cult was crashing down all around him, he still had the control over these women to order them around like that. I’m incredulous this guy has the FBI closing in and all he can think about is getting a blow-job. He was so oblivious. What a dumbass.

With wry bemusement, Catherine tells us that Nicki Clyne “idiotically” blew Keith’s cover by posting a pic of herself on Instagram revealing her location. The Mexican Federal Police were tasked with arresting Keith. With guns drawn, they swarmed Keith’s villa and kicked down the door to the bedroom where he was hiding in a closet.

We see a news report about Keith’s arrest. It shows a series of snapshots of Keith in all his dorky repulsive glory, while, with just the right amount of sarcasm, the news anchor reports, “This is the man the FBI says has committed serious crimes against humanity. Alleging he created a secret society of women he considered sex slaves and that some of them were branded with his initials.” To look at Keith, it is unbelievable. The hint of irony from the newscaster is certainly understandable.

Keith was arraigned in Brooklyn and Clare Bronfman put 10 million in a trust to cover his bail. Considered a flight risk, Keith was denied bail altogether.

Moira Penza tells us that they had decided to prosecute Keith by treating Nxivm like the mob. They focused on not just Keith, but his “inner circle.” Catherine was sent a copy of the criminal complaint and it was a shock. Her daughter was named as co-conspirator number two. The potential charges against her were conspiracy to sex traffic and wire fraud for collecting collateral. Wow.

Catherine texted India about the potential charges. She informed her that if she did not get a lawyer immediately she could be facing jail time. India did not respond to the text. Four days later, the FBI came to interview her. India cooperated, she says, because she didn’t think anything bad had happened so she had nothing to hide. Allison was arrested a few days later while India had not been home. Allison was charged with sex trafficking.

We watch a video clip of Keith playing Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” for the upteenth time. He loves to affect the posture of a professional pianist who is really feeling the music. It is a fucking parlor trick. It’s the only damn piece he knows how to play.

Keith continues to play as we cut to clips of Allison Mack, Nancy Salzman, Lauren Salzman and Clare Bronfman leaving court. Clare is dressed so casually and appears completely unaffected. Almost bored. But she’s also pale, reed thin and fragile looking. None of the Nxivm women look well. Not a single one. We hear a reporter say Clare’s bail was set at 100 million. An unheard of amount of money in the court’s history.

Catherine says something about how hard it must have been for India that all these people she considered authority figures were getting arrested. You can tell she’s trying to sell the “My daughter’s a victim!” angle. Which I agree India is, but Catherine sounds fake to me.

India didn’t reach out to Catherine until Allison got arrested. Catherine was then able to hook India up with a lawyer, Anne Champion. India gets choked up saying that her mother’s intent in going to the press was to show people she was a victim and how that would save her from being prosecuted like Allison. Celebrity has its privileges. India tells us that she has not seen that “level of commitment” from other parents who had their children stuck in the cult, too. Maybe that’s because those parents aren’t celebrities and didn’t have the power of the press. Perhaps they simply didn’t know what to do. That comment was meant to be flattering to Catherine, but it just makes India look very privileged and oblivious.

The Flash Drives

In April of 2018, Allison had been arrested and India was packing up her stuff to leave Allison’s house in Brooklyn. Allison’s mother asked India to pack up Allison’s stuff, too so that it could be put in storage. India decided to keep all of Allison’s personal stuff with her so it would be safe: jewelry, journals… and these flash drives she found. Or as some internet commentators called them, “India’s get-out-of-jail-free-flash drives.” Ha ha. Because they would turn out to contain some revealing evidence.

It’s obviously important for us to know, based on India’s tone of voice when she tells us about finding them, that at the time she didn’t know what was on them. She did not have any ulterior motive in keeping them. I believe you, I believe you. Let’s move on.

India moved back to California and into her mom’s house in Malibu. It wasn’t until six months later that she decided to play the flash drives to see what was on them:

We hear Keith’s voice ordering one of his slaves to grab a piece of paper and a pen. “Hurry!” he barks, “Back! Faster!” He then starts to talk about “the monogram” and how it is directly related to his initials. “Is everyone going to have the same brand?” a woman asks. “Yes,” he replies. “I was thinking of designing it like this,” we hear Keith say. Nicki Clyne says it’s cool looking. “This is an order. This isn’t a democracy,” he says.

For India, hearing the flash drives was a wake up call and broke through any denial she still had about DOS being anything more than “a sick and perverted idea” of Keith’s. There was more on the flash drives too, like collateral that women had given, photographs and spread sheets. I’m surprised Allison had held on to these flash drives after they had been ordered to destroy any evidence by Keith. I guess he told her to hold onto some collateral for the purpose of future blackmail? It’s possible she had forgotten she even had them. There was such a huge stockpile of material.

“I realized I had something that could be useful to the prosecution,” India says. I’ll say. Her lawyer must have been elated. India handed them over and that is when the prosecutors started working with her to prepare her to testify against Keith. India was no longer co-conspirator number two, but a witness. That must have been a huge relief.

We see India working out with a trainer as we hear her say in voice over that she was “very active” in working with the prosecutors so she was traveling to New York a lot. Every detail of what was on the flash drives had to be gone over. It was hours and hours of recordings. Keith really loved the sound of his own voice so, I can imagine.

India tells us hearing Keith’s voice saying out loud things he had ordered to be done and things he had done himself played a big part in breaking through any repressed memories she had. India is emphatic in telling us that if it wasn’t for the collateral she had given she never would have done anything sexual with Keith. That goes without saying, India. We need no convincing on that.

We then cut to India’s lawyer who says that the prosecutors understood that whatever India did in DOS was not out of any desire to deliberately abuse others, have power over them or for any financial gain. Keith had also used her to lure people into DOS and feel safe about getting involved.

The Trial

In May 2019, Keith’s trial began. He plead not guilty. Prosecutor Moira Penza says, in so many words, that the challenge was getting the jury to understand coercion and how it works in the eyes of the law. Catherine tells us that Keith had the best lawyers money could buy thanks to Clare Bronfman paying for his legal defense.

Marc Agnifilo, one of Keith’s lawyers, gave an interview to the filmmakers and he said the issue was a matter of intent. Was Keith trying to be helpful or hurtful to the women in DOS and the people of Nxivm?

We hear a news reporter talk about court testimony and what Mark Vicente had said about Keith on the stand. Basically Mark genuinely believed that Keith was the most brilliant man on earth and that he was even able to control the weather with his energy. Mark has a bit of a mysticism streak.

We see footage of Mark coming out of court and walking up to the gathered press outside the building. His wife Bonnie walks away from the media horde obviously not wanting to talk to them. Some internet critics of Mark say that in this clip he looks arrogant and egotistically drawn to the cameras. To me, Mark looks relieved to the point of being happy and yes, confident with the press. He’s a filmmaker. Cameras don’t intimidate him. I’m not trying to defend him. I just want to give my honest reaction.

Former member Debora tells us that her name was mentioned 22 times by Mark on the stand. What she had told him about DOS had been one of the key factors in getting him to wake up and see the truth about Keith. Debora says she is proud of the small role she played in helping bring down Nxivm.

India tells us she was not allowed to attend the trial, because she was a cooperating witness for the prosecution. We hear a reporter say that Lauren Salzman said on the stand that Keith expected his slaves to follow his commands as if they were “hungry dogs.” India tells us that as more details started to come out from the trial she was shocked. She doesn’t know how she managed to be blind to all that was going on.

Almost everybody was blind to what was going on. Or, in denial that what was going on was bad. Or, were sworn to secrecy. It’s like everyone was siloed rather than living in a community. I have to say, it’s kind of amazing how well Keith managed to keep so much underground. Though I suppose Nancy Salzman played a big part in that. Let’s get real; Keith is a lazy fuck. If there was damage control to be done, Nancy had to be the one to deal with it.

India learned that Keith wouldn’t pay Allison income he owed her until she “delivered” her (India) to him for sex. “That was the exchange of me for money,” India says angrily. “I had been nothing but a commodity to them. I had been trafficked,” India says, stilted actress style. “We were just things that Allison was providing for Keith.” At Keith’s command though. I doubt Allison masterminded that, but who knows?

We hear a recording from one of the flash drives. Keith is telling Allison how exactly he wants the branding ceremony to be conducted. The women should be naked and held down to a table. “Pain is how we know how much we love,” he says. Keith wants that to be said at the ceremony. They should say, “Please brand me it would be an honor or something like that,” he tells Allison. “They should probably say that before they are being held down so it doesn’t seem like they are being coerced.” We hear Allison say “okay” and “mhm,” but other than that she is silent.

Moira Penza says the recordings from the flash drives were an enormous help to the prosecution. It revealed that everything that occurred in DOS was at Keith’s command. Plus, hearing his voice saying everything out loud was powerful for the jury.

India tells us that a video of Sarah Edmonson’s branding ceremony was leaked to the Mexican press (and shown on at least one news program). India thinks that Keith most likely ordered the leak while he was in prison as a threat to Sarah and everyone else who was yet to testify.

I saw a video posted by some loyalists on Youtube where they said you could see in the video of Sarah she was willing and under no duress. So, that was at least part of the motivation behind leaking the video. To show Sarah wasn’t being coerced. The loyalists did not take responsibility for leaking it, but we know they did. And coercion is not shown by tears or resistance from the person being coerced. Fuck off with that bullshit.

India tells us that she has had a lot of anxiety and panic around the issue of where her collateral is. During the trial too, she worried about what Keith would do with it if he was found not guilty. That must have been really stressful.

After Lauren Salzman had testified, “which was huge,” India says, she was released from having to testify herself. But India felt like her job was not complete. She decided to be in court at the conclusion of the trial.

Looking at Keith sitting in court, India marveled at how little and insignificant he looked. She wondered how she ever could have thought he was so great. To be fair, nobody thinks much of Keith when they first meet him. Whether that was deliberate or not on Keith’s part, it took a lot of indoctrination before India saw him as more than the short hairy drip that he is.

We see Jaclyn Cangro reporting that Keith’s fate is now in the hands of the jury. Then we see India having an appointment with a “Neuromuscular Trauma Therapist.” She is giving India a massage to help her release emotions. As we watch the session, India tells us that she struggled to come to terms with herself and the choices she made while she was in DOS. At times she has felt like a monster.

We cut to India meeting with her therapist Dr. Bernstein and she tells her that she knows her intent was never to hurt people, but that doesn’t take away the guilt. The issue of the collateral that was given to her is a big one, because India would then send it on to Allison. India has no idea where it ended up. I think one saving grace is if any of the collateral gets released, some people who are still loyalists would be in deep shit. Prosecutors would not take that lightly and there would be investigations.

The Verdict

On June 19, 2019, the jury began their deliberations. We see a reporter run out of court and shout, “Guilty on all!” We see many people celebrating. Former members Debora, Naomi and Tabby are there together and hug each other. Debora gets emotional. Catherine calls India to tell her the good news. We see Keith’s ex-girlfriend Toni Natalie (who participated in The Vow and has quite a story) let out a visible sigh of relief.

We see one of the prosecutors tell the press that Keith’s crime spree has ended and his victims have finally gotten justice. Moira Penza tells us that she hopes Keith will spend the rest of his natural life in jail. Catherine gets choked up talking to the press about what Keith’s guilty verdict means to her and his victims. India tells us that it only took the jury four hours to decide on the guilty on all counts verdict.

Post-Nxivm

Dr. Lalich says India will have to work harder to mentally free herself from the indoctrination she experienced because she was only 19 when she joined the cult. Then we cut to Catherine and India talking about their relationship when India was still in. They are obviously close and it is apparent Keith was not able to destroy their bond.

We cut to India talking with “Jill.” It gives an almost comical effect, because Jill’s head is pixelated out and it just looks bizarre to see one pixelated head talking to India in close up. Anyway, they are talking about their brands. India tells her that she opted to get her brand tattooed to disguise it. She shows Jill who is really impressed by how well the scar is concealed.

Cut to India with her fiancée, Patrick, who is a chef. He’s cute. She tells us he did a lot to help her heal from her lingering starvation behaviors around food. India is kind of giddy talking about him, which is nice. I felt glad for her watching this.

India says that she wanted to figure out how to use her experience in Nxivm in a way that was positive. We see India and some former members talking to law students. The students express gratitude to them for sharing their experience. Coercion is very tricky in the eyes of the law. I’m sure the lecture was helpful.

Catherine tells us that in the US, self-help is an 11 billion dollar business and it’s completely unregulated. Rick Ross shares that he has had to participate in interventions with medical doctors and even a psychologist that got ensnared into cults. The point being that anyone, no matter their intelligence level or education, has the potential to be susceptible to a cult. Catherine says that India’s intelligence, altruism and desire to participate in something noble is what made her vulnerable. Yeah, okay, Catherine. Let’s not get carried away.

Dr. Hassan says that we are no longer in the information age, but because of the internet, we are now in the age of influence (and influencers). He is right, there’s proof of that all over the place, and it’s scary, in my opinion. Dr. Hassan says there is a difference between ethical and unethical influence and unethical influence is about power and control.

We conclude with India basically saying that everyone has the potential to be vulnerable to a cult and she will continue to work to educate the public about that fact.

Keith was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

Nxivm loyalists still practice “readiness” drills and some dance beneath the window of Keith’s prison cell.

Dr. Brandon Porter who conducted those mind fucking “fright experiments” was charged with 25 counts of medical misconduct and lost his medical license.

Dr. Danielle Roberts’ (the doctor who branded the women) medical license is under review.

Clare Bronfman received an 81 month sentence.

Allison Mack, Nancy Salzman and Lauren Salzman are all awaiting their sentences which has been delayed due to the COVID pandemic.