The trial of the "guru" forced him to give him nude pictures to ensure his "sexual obedience"

We told them "guarantees": Photos of them naked and other compromising documents that the women of a self-help group had to give to their" masters "to ensure their obedience, your silence and your badual availability. This testimony and others were announced Tuesday at the start of the New York trial against NXIVM organization leader Keith Raniere.

Initially, six people were to be tried, but finally, Raniere, 58, arrived alone with his lawyers in Brooklyn federal court for his trial, which will last about six weeks. He is the only accused and he pleads innocent.

The other five – all women in positions of responsibility in several Raniere-run organizations, including American actress Allison Mack of "Smallville" and the rich Canadian heiress Clare Bronfman – pleaded guilty. Like this, They avoided being judged.

Rainiere was the leader of Nxivm (pronounced Nexium), supposed self-help organization that according to prosecutors extorted to his supporters and allowed him badually explode Women's.

More than 16,000 people Over the past two decades, they have attended Raniere workshops in 30 countries, which have promised to "update their human potential" and to $ 5000 for a five-day course.

Participants frequently they were in debt and they had to work for the organization to pay their debts.

Among the complaints is that some "slaves" of a secret fraternity of NXIVM they were marked with the initials of Raniere as part of his admission. Others have been threatened with dissemination of "guarantees" they refused to sleep with him.

Raniere he pleaded not guilty of all costs, including that of bad trafficking. The defendant was nicknamed "the vanguard" by his followers in the United States and Mexico.

The promotional material of NXIVM, which no longer exists, describes him as a "scientist, mathematician, philosopher, entrepreneur, educator, inventor and author who has dedicated his life to the development of new tools of development, expression and human ethics ".