NXIVM on Trial

Times Union managing editor Casey Seiler assembles the newspaper's NXIVM beat writers, Robert Gavin and Brendan Seiler, for an update on the shadowy cult since its leader, Keith Raniere, was found guilty of federal racketeering charges and more.  The conversation addresses a lawsuit against NXIVM, the potential prison sentences for members of the cult and a made-for-television movie debuting in Se...

In a special post-verdict edition of the Times Union's "NXIVM on Trial" podcast, managing editor Casey Seiler and justice reporter Robert Gavin discuss Wednesday's speedy verdict in the trial of NXIVM leader Keith Raniere: guilty on all counts. Gavin describes the scene in the courtroom when Raniere learned his fate, and the reactions from his defense attorneys and the people who have claimed thei...

The seventh episode of the Times Union's "NXIVM on Trial" podcast breaks down the final week of testimony in the federal trial of Keith Raniere, and what's coming next week as jurors prepare to begin deliberations. This week's episode, "Like in Rome or Whatever," features an interview with reporter Robert Gavin from Brooklyn, and looks at the testimony of the final prosecution witnesses, including...

The sixth episode of the "NXIVM on Trial" podcast features an interview with Rob Gavin, the Times Union's reporter in the Brooklyn courthouse where Keith Raniere faced some of the most brutal testimony in the case thus far. Gavin talks about the scene in the courtroom and the media covering it, and describes his visit to the Knox Woods neighborhood in Halfmoon, where neighbors of the NXIVM high co...

The fifth episode of the Times Union's podcast "NXIVM on Trial" offers analysis of the week-long testimony of a young Mexican woman who said she was placed in virtual confinement in a Halfmoon bedroom for two years on the orders of NXIVM leader Keith Raniere. With justice reporter Robert Gavin in Brooklyn covering a Friday session of the trial, the podcast features managing editor Casey Seiler and...

The Times Union's "NXIVM on Trial" podcast features a discussion about the roller-coaster third week of testimony in the trial of Keith Raniere — a week that brought the accounts of two women who described Raniere's alleged emotional and physical cruelty in often excruciating detail. Managing editor Casey Seiler, investigations and Capitol bureau chief Brendan Lyons and courts reporter Robert Gavi...

The third installment of the Times Union's weekly podcast "NXIVM on Trial" features a discussion with reporter Rob Gavin on his way back from Brooklyn, where the trial of Keith Raniere swerved from the testimony of filmmaker Mark Vicente to the first appearance of cooperating witness and admitted Raniere "slave" Lauren Salzman. New episodes will be released every week during the federal trial. Com...

Keith Raniere's shadowy reign as the leader of NXIVM came under fire this week during the start of his federal trial in Brooklyn. Times Union reporter Robert Gavin was in court for the first week of action, which included allegations of sex with underage girls, comparisons to Winston Churchill and emotional testimony from people trapped in the organization. All this and more is explored in the sec...

The details of Keith Raniere's shadowy reign as the leader of NXIVM, which has for years withstood allegations that it was a cult-like criminal enterprise, are expected to be fully revealed at his federal criminal trial in May. Raniere, long known to his followers as "Vanguard," has for more than two decades been a captivating figure after founding the Capital Region-based organization that amasse...