Nxivm sex slave starved: Victim, 32, says she weighed just 88LBS after extreme dieting and daily six-hour workouts at the order of cult leader Keith Raniere and Clare Bronfman
- Sylvie, 32, recounted how her weight dropped to just 88lbs after she was forced to starve herself and exercise for six hours a day
- At one point she developed an abscess that became a fistula and required surgery
- She joined Nxivm at 18 after learning of the cult through Clare Bronfman, whose horses she tended to
- Sylvie later was recruited to join DOS, and says her master Monica made her wear a dog collar
- She was allegedly told to seduce Keith Raniere and later forced top let him perform oral sex on her and take a photo of her genitalia
The first witness to testify in the case against Nxivm leader Keith Raniere took the stand on Wednesday for the second day.
Sylvie, 32, said she had been a member of the group for 13 years, and was in the process of planning her sex slave branding ceremony when the group finally fell apart last year.
Just as harrowing was her description of the extreme lengths she went to starving herself and exercising, allegedly at the direction of Raniere and Clare Bronfman.
Sex slave: Sylvie (above on the stand) recounted how her weight dropped to just 88lbs after she was forced to starve herself and exercise for six hours a day
Heiress: She joined Nxivm at 18 after learning of the cult through Clare Bronfman (above), whose horses she tended to
She said that at one point she weighed just 88lbs, and was training six hours a day to be a competitive runner.
That training ultimately resulted in her developing an abscess that became a fistula and required surgery.
A medical professional told her to stop working out, but she said that Bronfman told her it was fine to exercise at the same rate so long as she was not in any pain.
Sylvie later broke down in tears while speaking about an alleged unwanted sexual encounter with Raniere, who she had been ordered to seduce.
‘I felt shame,’ said Sylvie of the day she went to Raniere’s home so he could perform oral sex on her.
When it was over, he allegedly took a photo of her genitalia.
Raniere has pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking and child pornography, and his lawyer has argued that he never forced any women to act against their will.
He faces life in prison if convicted.
Vanguard: She was told to seduce Keith Rainiere (above) and later allegedly forced top let him perform oral sex on her and take a photo of her genitalia
Sylvie told jurors how her involvement in Nxivm eventually led her to become a slave in DOS, where she submitted herself entirely to a ‘master’ named Monica.
She recited a lifetime vow to obey her female master at a commitment ceremony and wore a necklace called a ‘dog collar.’
As was expected of slaves, Sylvie recruited other women to join DOS.
She now lives in England with her husband, also a former Nxivm member, and testified under an immunity agreement with prosecutors.
‘We were taught that women were self-absorbed, narcissistic,’ she said.
‘I feel like in some ways that was the worst part of it for me.’