The Eastern District of New York’s U.S. Attorneys and investigative team have been recognized for their outstanding work in dismantling a decade-long sex trafficking and forced labor scheme led by Keith Raniere. The 69th Annual Attorney General’s Awards Ceremony honored the team for their efforts in pursuing justice for the victims and bringing down the complex criminal enterprise.
Raniere, the self-help guru, created a secret society called DOS, whose members were drawn from his self-help organizations. Women were recruited under the false pretense of joining a women-only mentorship group, only to discover they had taken “vows of obedience” to women who had pledged obedience to Raniere. The victims were forced to provide “collateral” to Raniere and his co-conspirators, which included damaging confessions, financial assets, and sexually explicit photographs and videos.
The team used a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach to prepare the victims for trial testimony, ultimately securing the convictions of Raniere’s five co-defendants through guilty pleas. The team applied precedent-setting applications of the RICO, sex trafficking, and labor trafficking statutes to pursue justice for the victims and provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to ensure victim participation.
The awards ceremony recognized the outstanding work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tanya Hajjar and Kevin Trowel, former Acting U.S. Attorney Mark J. Lesko, and Paralegal Specialist Teri Carby of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The investigative team, including FBI Supervisory Special Agents Anthony Bivona and Christopher Donohue, and others, was also honored for their efforts in dismantling the sex trafficking ring.
The ceremony highlighted the bravery of the victims who came forward to testify against Raniere, regaining control of their lives and beginning the long process of healing. The awards recognized the dedication and expertise of the U.S. Attorneys and the investigative team in pursuing justice for the victims and dismantling the complex criminal enterprise.
The 69th Annual Attorney General’s Awards Ceremony was held to recognize Department of Justice employees and partners for their extraordinary contributions to the enforcement of our nation’s laws. This year’s awardees have served selflessly to further the Department’s important work upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting civil rights.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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