Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch - A New Case: The Nxivm Sex Cult on Infamous

Episode Date: May 10, 2023

Behind every infamous news story is a journalist trying to hold power to account. Join reporters Vanessa Grigoriadis and Gabriel Sherman as they take an in-depth look at the most explosive scandals of this century. From high-profile divorces to sex cults to the lies that started a war, they’ll guide you through the juiciest, most outrageous, celeb-filled stories of the last two decades, and give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to shine an unflattering light on the world’s most powerful people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm Vanessa Grigoriados and I want to tell you about my new podcast, Infamous, which takes you inside all sorts of weird stories, from the knife-wielding world of New York high fashion, to corrupt political operatives in Washington, to a sex cult on the land. That particular story is about the time I went to Guadalajara, Mexico, to interview Keith Rineri, the leader of a cult called Nexium. This cult branded women's bodies, created a system of sex slaves, and had famous actresses as members. This meeting in Mexico that you'll hear about was just weeks before Keith would be indicted

for sex trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy. But we didn't know that at the time. Keith burst forth from the bedroom. He was short and stout in a full of energy. He had a ready face and a pair of coke bottle glasses on that sort of concealed large blue eyes. The first thing I thought was really is this it? One of the reasons why I haven't spoken in the past and now it's how I am. Is it right to try to win in a court of public opinion when it's dishonorable. I was always impressed, you know, if you study some of the people like the Gandhi's of the

world, they do these actions that have a wonderful aspect that if they're wrong, it's not damaging, it's illustrative. But I had a more pressing question. So are you in Mexico because you think about being in Dartmouth and York and what if there is? No, I happen to be in the subpoena. No, I am. Now I didn't come to Mexico for that reason, but with all of the cake going on and there are people who are scared for me to be back in my neighborhood and, you know, our know our lawyers and consultants they probably better off just stay

still. I mean I'm worried about their being in indictment. Are you worried about that? If you would ask me that a year ago or six months ago I would have said it's not a concern because there's nothing wrong. We came here because we're going to spend Christmas, we're finding a place to go where we can go and spend Christmas because like a beach house hopefully. At this point, I wondered who was we. I also wondered about exactly how this was being funded.

I don't think I can't. I live under the poverty level. But I live a really simple life. Keith didn't keep any money in his name. Maybe Keith just didn't want to have any assets. Which one if I have a cost shirt? I just buy this one. I don't even know what to do for him.

No, honestly. I don't think I've. I didn't know it any further. No, quite honestly. I didn't add that until I put this on this morning. I don't think I'd warn it any time I didn't know that. It was a lot from a guy I had now researched. His mom died early. He was a science guy. Back in 1990, Keith started a multi-level marketing company. It was called Cons Spiesline.

They recruited members and offered discounts on things like groceries and appliances. His idea is to arrange for you to combine your purchasing power, everything you buy, with millions of other Americans into one big purchasing family to give us all some clout when it comes to getting a better price. His name is Keith Fronieri. His idea is called Consumers Biala. And I'd like you to meet this repression of your own man. Kate, happy to see you again. Yes, happy to see you too.

It's an amazing idea. Has well sometimes been even amazing to me. Since I was finally sitting down with him in his crazy Mexican hideout, I really didn't need to ask him about Dawes, that master slave group that next year members were calling the Serrardi. Let's talk about the Serrardi for a little while. I mean, did you know about it?

Does not know about it. Was it a... I knew some of I mean, some of those people, I think, close with some cases decades. So I knew some things about it. I'm just saying the bind that you're in is the people think the sorority was kind of like your hunting wand or something. And that's just not only, madly, if I'd never had a sex like I wouldn't walk on it. I suspect with the money that I've had in my life, I don't know, $1 million can buy you a lot of fans of sex if you wanted it.

I asked him if he was Polly Amor's. So are you Polly Amor's with different women? or in polyamory, people have multiple romantic and often sexual relationships at once, and everyone is consenting? It's quite different from polygamy, which is about having more than one wife or rarely husband at a time, and in a way that not everyone involved might be happy about. So was polyamory what was going on here? I'm not a fun person to have a sexual relationship with. If I meet you and we have a type of connection intimacy, first there's the talk. I ask you and I talk to you about are you interested potentially

and that is that how you feel? I feel this way, I feel that way, etc. So they agree to a type of one-sided monogamy for a certain amount of time. Wait, so just to be clear, Keith is saying he requires his polyamorous partners to only sleep with him in a kind of one-sided monogamy. Well, he gets to sleep with multiple people. Now, that is really not how polyamorous relationships are supposed to work. In fact, it doesn't sound like polyamory at all. It sounds like a harem.

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