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Alleged cult leader who branded sex “slaves” with his initials arrested in Mexico

“Master, please brand me. It would be an honor,” the women were reportedly told to say.

The co-founder of a U.S. “self-help” group who allegedly branded women and treated them as sex “slaves” was arrested in Mexico and is expected to appear in a Texas court Tuesday.

Keith Raniere, who co-founded so-called NXIVM, has been charged with sex trafficking out of an upstate New York location. The mysterious group, now widely believed to be a cult, allegedly coaxed women into providing nude photographs of themselves and then branded them with Raniere’s initials at a house in Albany, according to an October New York Times investigation into the group. “Master, please brand me. It would be an honor,” the women were reportedly told to say before their skin was burned. The Times described the branding ceremonies as long sessions of “muffled screams” and “the smell of burning tissue.” The photos were allegedly used as blackmail against the women. The Times investigation also said the women were coerced into “near-starvation” diets so that Raniere would find them sexually appealing.

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Raniere, 57, fled to Mexico last year after the New York Times exposé came out. Federal prosecutors now say that he was the leader of a secret sorority within NXIVM in which he was known as the “master over the slave women.” The branding tattoo ceremonies were sometimes videotaped, according to allegations.

"During the branding ceremonies, slaves were required to be fully naked, and the master would order one slave to film while the other held down the slave being branded," the federal prosecutors’ complaint reportedly says.

Raniere has previously denied the allegations. After his arrest in Mexico, he was returned to Texas, where he will reportedly appear in court in Fort Worth on Tuesday.

On its website, NXIVM is described as ”a community guided by humanitarian principles that seek to empower people and answer important questions about what it means to be human.” The group has attracted some minor celebrities, including Allison Mack — best known for her role on the Superman origin television show “Smallville” — who allegedly served as a high-ranking member. NXIVM has chapters throughout the U.S. and in Canada and Mexico.

Cover image: Photo of Keith Raniere from his bio on the NXIVM website.