Investigation Discovery (ID) has ordered two-hour special “The Lost Women of NXIVM,” looking into the organization that included a sex-trafficking cult and had ties to Hollywood.
On Wednesday, NXIVM founder Keith Raniere was convicted on racketeering, sex-trafficking and other crimes. In December, Ample Entertainment will premiere its documentary on NXIVM and Raniere.
Raniere’s sentencing is set for Sept. 25. Marc Agnifilo, Raniere’s lawyer, said he plans to appeal the conviction, the Associated Press reported.
In March 2018, Raniere was arrested in Mexico, where he fled last fall after the New York Times published a report about alleged NXIVM practices like branding women.
Raniere had initially pled not guilty to all charges. Raniere had described NXIVM as a “self-help” group and had a foothold in Hollywood, which included “Smallville” actress Allison Mack. Federal authorities say Raniere and Mack created a secret society within NXIVM in 2015 called “DOS,” where women “slaves” were forced to do the bidding of female “masters.”
Mack (pictured above) pled guilty in April to two counts of racketeering conspiracy and racketeering, according to the Department of Justice. Mack had been accused of recruiting young women into the group and manipulated them into branding their bodies and becoming sex slaves for Raniere. Mack’s sentencing will be decided on Sept. 11 by Judge Nicholas Garaufis. She faces a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Specifically, the Investigation Discovery special will explore what happened to four women who were members of NXIVM who either vanished or died in mysterious circumstances, ID said on Thursday. Mixed in with the official accounts of suicide or illness are contested evidence, allegations of tainted police reports, and after years of investigation — one investigator believes — murder.
“The Lost Women of NXIVM” takes viewers deep inside the active investigation to explore what really happened to Kristin Snyder, Gina Hutchinson, and other women of NXIVM, the official Ample description continued. Tracking down past members, informants and eyewitnesses, many going on the record for the first time, this two-hour special takes us into new parts of the NXIVM universe and reveals a story far bigger and darker than ever suspected.
It concluded: With unique access to Frank Parlato and his more than 10-year investigation into NXIVM, layered with special testimony from a core of former members speaking on the record for the first time, this special explores how each of the four women have connections to the origins of NXIVM, taking viewers deeper into Raniere’s cult than ever before.
Other current charges against Raniere include racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy.
“As the cryptic and chilling details behind NXIVM continue to surface, each revelation is more astonishing than the last,” said Henry Schleiff, who is group president of Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel and Destination America. “The time has finally arrived for Keith Raniere to be brought to justice, and we at Investigation Discovery think it is also time to help amplify the stories of these women who will not be forgotten.”
Ari Mark, Phil Lott, Alex Weresow, Pat McGee, Eugenie Vink are executive producers on the Ample/ID project. Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager.