International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation■ Vol. 2, 2021 51
consequently, the role it played in his
grooming strategies.
Daniela revered Raniere as an enlightened,
intellectual superior. She believed in his
alleged scientific and mathematical
propositions, and in his claim that members
of NXIVM would be better prepared to guide
humanity and avert global disaster than
anyone else (United States of America v.
Raniere, 2019, pp. 2305–2306 2313).
Initially, she was flattered by his attention
(2019, pp. 2309 2316 2336 2366) and,
over time, she considered him a mentor and
confidant (2019, pp. 2360 2369–2371), and
even her “best friend” (2019, p. 2709). She
described the grooming process to the
court—one that began with seemingly
innocent email and in-person conversations,
but that would progress to flirtation and
discussions about sex and intimacy, including
Raniere’s direct questioning of Daniela’s
experiences, or lack thereof (she confided to
him that she was a virgin) (2019, pp. 2366–
2377). Capitalizing on her naiveté and her
evident veneration of him (see Sinnamon,
2017, pp. 469–470), he groomed her,
eventually coaxing her to ask him for sex for
her 18th birthday (United States of America v.
Raniere, 2019, p. 2376).
When Raniere first kissed Daniela, she did
not want to reciprocate at all. A sheltered and
inexperienced teenager, after the incident, she
interpreted his kiss as an indication that she
was “chosen,” that she was “special.” She
wanted to understand him in positive terms
(United States of America v. Raniere, 2019,
pp. 2371–2372 see Sinnamon, 2017, p. 470).
She perceived that their “increasing
intimacy” was part of her journey to greater
growth (see Lalich, 1997, p. 11). A common
part of grooming (Sinnamon, 2017, p. 479),
Raniere discussed his sexual experiences
with her (United States of America v. Raniere,
2019, p. 2375). He peppered the grooming
process with questions about her pubic hair
(United States of America v.
Raniere, 2019, p. 2376), recommendations
about her weight, and, critical to most
grooming scenarios, he cautioned her of the
need to keep their relationship secret (United
States of America v. Raniere, 2019, p. 2373).
Secrecy and increasing intimacy are typical
grooming strategies that allow the abuser to
“positively reinforce the excitation and
elements of fear felt by the target when their
interactions begin to stretch the boundaries”
(Sinnamon, 2017, p. 477).
Daniela testified that she started to feel more
“grown up” (United States of America v.
Raniere, 2019, p. 2374). When their sexual
relationship began, however, Raniere took
full control over Daniela. She told to the court
that she felt that he “owned her” (2019,
p. 2389), and that he had deliberately set a
trap for her (2019, p. 2376). Daniela was a
minor (age 16 the age of consent is 17 in
New York State) when Raniere first started to
groom her, but he used a more adult approach
to grooming, likely because of her age as an
older teenager. Clearly, he was aware of her
inexperience. Later, Raniere even used
Daniela’s immigrant status to his
advantage—especially when her visa ran out
(2019, p. 1508), a scenario that allowed
Raniere to make himself essential to Daniela
and to use intimidation based on her fear of
being deported (see Sinnamon, 2017, pp.
470–471).
Daniela was a vulnerable adolescent who
transitioned into young adulthood in
NXIVM. Raniere adeptly groomed her not
only into sexual intimacy with him, but also
to believe that their sexual relationship was
normal or typical. Daniela had no point of
reference, and once Raniere and the inner-
circle environment became her everyday life,
he was able to subject her to an unhealthy
relationship whereby he derived daily sexual
gratification from her, whilst she received
none (United States of America v. Raniere,
2019, pp. 2708–2709). His constant need for
sexual satisfaction and attention (Sinnamon,
consequently, the role it played in his
grooming strategies.
Daniela revered Raniere as an enlightened,
intellectual superior. She believed in his
alleged scientific and mathematical
propositions, and in his claim that members
of NXIVM would be better prepared to guide
humanity and avert global disaster than
anyone else (United States of America v.
Raniere, 2019, pp. 2305–2306 2313).
Initially, she was flattered by his attention
(2019, pp. 2309 2316 2336 2366) and,
over time, she considered him a mentor and
confidant (2019, pp. 2360 2369–2371), and
even her “best friend” (2019, p. 2709). She
described the grooming process to the
court—one that began with seemingly
innocent email and in-person conversations,
but that would progress to flirtation and
discussions about sex and intimacy, including
Raniere’s direct questioning of Daniela’s
experiences, or lack thereof (she confided to
him that she was a virgin) (2019, pp. 2366–
2377). Capitalizing on her naiveté and her
evident veneration of him (see Sinnamon,
2017, pp. 469–470), he groomed her,
eventually coaxing her to ask him for sex for
her 18th birthday (United States of America v.
Raniere, 2019, p. 2376).
When Raniere first kissed Daniela, she did
not want to reciprocate at all. A sheltered and
inexperienced teenager, after the incident, she
interpreted his kiss as an indication that she
was “chosen,” that she was “special.” She
wanted to understand him in positive terms
(United States of America v. Raniere, 2019,
pp. 2371–2372 see Sinnamon, 2017, p. 470).
She perceived that their “increasing
intimacy” was part of her journey to greater
growth (see Lalich, 1997, p. 11). A common
part of grooming (Sinnamon, 2017, p. 479),
Raniere discussed his sexual experiences
with her (United States of America v. Raniere,
2019, p. 2375). He peppered the grooming
process with questions about her pubic hair
(United States of America v.
Raniere, 2019, p. 2376), recommendations
about her weight, and, critical to most
grooming scenarios, he cautioned her of the
need to keep their relationship secret (United
States of America v. Raniere, 2019, p. 2373).
Secrecy and increasing intimacy are typical
grooming strategies that allow the abuser to
“positively reinforce the excitation and
elements of fear felt by the target when their
interactions begin to stretch the boundaries”
(Sinnamon, 2017, p. 477).
Daniela testified that she started to feel more
“grown up” (United States of America v.
Raniere, 2019, p. 2374). When their sexual
relationship began, however, Raniere took
full control over Daniela. She told to the court
that she felt that he “owned her” (2019,
p. 2389), and that he had deliberately set a
trap for her (2019, p. 2376). Daniela was a
minor (age 16 the age of consent is 17 in
New York State) when Raniere first started to
groom her, but he used a more adult approach
to grooming, likely because of her age as an
older teenager. Clearly, he was aware of her
inexperience. Later, Raniere even used
Daniela’s immigrant status to his
advantage—especially when her visa ran out
(2019, p. 1508), a scenario that allowed
Raniere to make himself essential to Daniela
and to use intimidation based on her fear of
being deported (see Sinnamon, 2017, pp.
470–471).
Daniela was a vulnerable adolescent who
transitioned into young adulthood in
NXIVM. Raniere adeptly groomed her not
only into sexual intimacy with him, but also
to believe that their sexual relationship was
normal or typical. Daniela had no point of
reference, and once Raniere and the inner-
circle environment became her everyday life,
he was able to subject her to an unhealthy
relationship whereby he derived daily sexual
gratification from her, whilst she received
none (United States of America v. Raniere,
2019, pp. 2708–2709). His constant need for
sexual satisfaction and attention (Sinnamon,
