She was in great danger. Former followers describe strange rituals and lives changed forever. Its right here. I think Brain Washing is a wonderful term in terms of trying to define what happened to me. Im david muir. Im Elizabeth Vargas and this is 20 20. Reporter we are told the rendezvous was a secret, five women summoned to a house outside albany, new york, one night this past march. Sarah edmondson says she was one of them, willingly participating in a strange initiation ritual led by a woman who told everyone to take off their clothes and put on a blindfold. Led us in blindfolded, and sat us in a semicircle, buck naked, no clothes, on a sheepskin rug. Like, could you could that be any weirder . Reporter no, it could not be any weirder. We were all you know, my goodness. Whats going on here . This is so weird. Reporter weird doesnt begin to cover it. Sarah told authorities she thought they were going to get tattoos. Instead she says they found out they were all going to be branded. Reporter it sounds like a horror movie, what youre describing. It was a horror movie. It was the most inhumane, horrific way to treat anybody. Reporter what was that like . It was worse than childbirth. Reporter it was worse than childbirth . Yup. It was imagine a hot laser dragged across your flesh for 30 minutes without anesthetic. Reporter at this point youre probably wondering, how in the world did this happen . Sarah seems so normal. She lives in vancouver where she is a wife and mother with a successful film and television career. Do i know you . I dont think so. Oh no, im forgetting so much recently. But i never forget a face. Reporter but her life changed after she crossed paths with a secretive Selfhelp Group called nxivm and its charismatic leader, Keith Raniere. Im an interesting person, im a controversial person, but most importantly im an unconventional person. Reporter according to promotional materials, even as a child raniere was destined for greatness. Speaking in full sentences at age one, reading at two. Judo champ and concert level pianist at 13. I was told that he was one of the smartest men in the world, and just an incredible man. With that im going to pass the microphone over. Reporter so incredible, it seems, that an ordinary name just wont do. Participants say they are taught to call raniere vanguard. Vanguard . Yes. Reporter so vanguard is the name that we refer to keith as because he is the leader of a philosophical movement. Reporter the second highest Ranking Member of nxivm is a woman named nancy salzman. Former members say she is known as prefect. So keith and nancy, vanguard and prefect. Reporter at the heart of nxivm training is something called intensives, which former members say are like group therapy, running as long as 14 hours a day for up to 16 days. Edmondson says she attended her first in 2005 when she was 27. I left my fiveday, my initial training as if a veil had been lifted. And i could see things more clearly in my life. I could communicate better with people. Reporter that sounds fantastic. Yeah, it was great. Reporter classes are invitation only and they are not cheap. A fiveday intensive will run you 3,000. The 16day is 7,500. In promotional videos and materials it claims more than 16,000 people world wide have taken nxivm courses. Many testify to its effectiveness. I learned through the tools that there was a different way. Reporter sarah was recruited into the group by filmmaker mark vicente. What was it that was so compelling to you . Just a way to break and understand certain things in my life in a way i never have before. Reporter raniere is fiercely protective of his teachings, requiring participants to sign confidentiality agreements. Everyone signed it. And if you didnt sign it, you couldnt take the curriculum. Reporter we do know that nxivm has its own lingo, students are taught about overcoming disintegrations to become more potent and less suppressive, and avoiding people termed parasites or luciferians. Rick ross studies groups like nxivm. In my opinion, its basically copied from other sources, specifically scientology, ayn rand, and est, so, theres all of that mixed together, and that becomes nxivm. Very unoriginal. Reporter original or not, ranieres teachings were good enough for sarah and her friend mark to spend more than a decade rising through the nxivm ranks and becoming ever more willing to follow their leaders. If youre told, the world could be so much better if you werent quite so screwed up, youre like, youre right. Let me get more un unscrewed up. And pretty soon youre spending years unscrewing yourself. Reporter sarah says she devoted 12 years to nxivm, recruiting hundreds of new members, rising through the organization, even opening and running a center in vancouver. Along the way, becoming best friends with nancy salzmans daughter lauren. Who was maid of honor at sarahs wedding. Shes like my therapist. And in the ranking system shes also above me. Reporter then, in march, after all their years together in nxivm, sarah says lauren approached her about a new and mysterious opportunity. I wanna invite you to something that totally changed my life. Reporter it was a secret sorority, for women only. Life changing, but top secret. And the first step is making a vow of obedience to her as me being a slave, and her being my master. Again reporter slave . She used the word slave . Slave. She used the word slave. Reporter did you object . I of course. Yeah, i objected every stage of the way. And she said, its just its a metaphor. Its like gurudisciple. Reporter then came the night sarah says she and four other women submitted, one by one, to being branded by this woman, she says, dr. Danielle roberts. And the woman on the table screamed out in pain twisted and turned and yelled. And the woman i was with holding her legs down, we looked at each other, and we just wept. Reporter why didnt you let go, and run out of there, even naked . It didnt seem like a choice at the time. Reporter she points to years of nxivm training. All the indoctrination, all the years of, women are weak. Women have no character. Now is the time to prove i can do it. Reporter sarah gives another explanation for her obedience. Before she joined the secret sorority and got branded, she says Lauren Salzman had demanded highly compromising collateral. You need to provide something to me that im gonna hold forever just to confirm, and to and to solidify that youll never share the secret. Reporter so what did you give her . So i gave her a written confessional. Reporter she says for her and some others, the price of admission to the secret group also included providing nude photos of themselves. So understand when women do that, its very difficult to say, no, im not doing this. cause you you have something the person has something of you with them. Reporter instantly all my alarm bells are going off. Absolutely. Reporter so why did you do it . I did it because i trusted her. I trusted her. Reporter and can you just stand up and point on your body through your clothes where the brand is . Yep. So its right here under my reporter its right here . Yeah, right there. Right under my underwear line. Reporter she gave us photos. In her complaint to the new York State Department of health, she says she was told the brand was a latin symbol but says she realized it really included the letters k and r, which are also the initials of Keith Raniere. I lost it when i figured that out. Reporter youre stamped as property of somebody . I am not cattle. Im not owned by keith. Reporter Keith Raniere, vanguard, has not responded to our requests for an interview. His website says hes not associated with the secret sorority, and its not part of nxivm. An attorney for dr. Danielle roberts, the alleged brander, tells abc news the allegations are unfounded. Hi, im glenn ruppel with abc news. Oh. Reporter a 20 20 producer caught up with dr. Roberts at a wellness expo in new york city. Id just like to ask you a question about the women who said you branded them . Im sorry, were at a wellness expo and thats completely irrelevant from the purpose of why we are here today. Okay, does Keith Reniere know that youre been branding, can you tell me how many people have been branded by you . Im sorry, theres no comment about that. Theres a lot of allegations and theres nothing, theres no comment that we have. Reporter still ahead, the man called vanguard, Keith Raniere. The secrets of his attraction. And what some say can happen if you cross him. If you question Keith Raniere, the [ bleep ] hits the fan. Reporter stay with us. 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Every kiss begins with kay virtual realityall virtually useless without a new computer. All i see is darkness. Give intel 8th gen core to power all the latest tech. Reporter before he was the smoothtalking sage in a vneck sweater on youtube. When you get to something authentic you experience this type of creativity. This soul. Reporter before he founded the strange and Secretive Group with a name like a roman numeral. Keith ranieres first big idea was hawking memberships in an illfated Network Marketing Company Called consumers buyline his name is Keith Raniere. His idea is called consumers buyline. Reporter this promotional video for consumers buyline from the 1990s features the late eddie albert of green acres fame and a painfully awkward pitchman, 31yearold, Keith Raniere. Keith, happy to see you again. Yes. Happy to see you too. Its app amazing idea. Yes. Well, sometimes it even amazes me. But consumers buyline is wonderful. And its working. It really was a brilliant idea. It was based on the premise of, as a group, collectively, we can buy in bulk, and we can save a lot of money. Reporter toni natalie knew raniere before he was vanguard. She even appears in this 1993 american spotlight program lauding consumers buyline. Traditional markups are between 4 and 800 percent in the cosmetic industry when you met him did he seem like a genius . He seemed like a geek so i sat down and i asked him, so, you have a 240 iq, why are you doing this . Why arent you curing cancer . Why arent you really making a difference . And he said, this is the platform that im gonna use, and im gonna change the world. Reporter even then, the man who would become vanguard had big plans. In that american spotlight video, he sports a beard and a vision. As far as consumers buyline goes, its merely a stepping stone to really change the way we live and maximize human potential. Reporter unlike the guy from green acres, attorneys general in several states didnt think ranieres idea was quite so amazing, or honest. We first told you when the company was accused of being an illegal keep. Reporter they agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to the states. After that, the company went bust. By that time, toni natalie was all in. She had left her husband and moved to albany with her young son to be with keith. They were together for nearly 6 years. She says in allnight talks, keith drew out all of her secrets. Heres the smartest man in the world willing to help you through your emotional issues, and the reason that youre stuck in this world and the reason that you cant move on, and the reason you cant grow, is because you havent learned how to heal that thing inside of you. Ill help you im going to help you make it all better. I going to help you heal sexually, im going to help you heal intellectually. Im going to show you the path. Reporter toni saw the early days ranieres partnership with nancy salzman, the creation of nxivm teachings known as rational inquiry and methods that in Court Filings she later likened to brainwashing. What keith does, he elicits all that information from you. My opinion is that what they do from there, is they take that information and they utilize that. Where can i not build you up, but break you down . Reporter according to former members, the sessions came to involve practices such as bowing and a special handshake. At nxivms albany headquarters, people inside can be seen wearing sashes. Former members say different colors denote rank. Former coach margot joy leviton says classes begin with a ritual handclap. And we do something that we would call a huddle. So, everyone would put their arms around each other in this big circle we are committed to our success. And then straight into the mission statement. There are no ultimate victims, therefore i will not choose to be a victim. Reporter maher margos says anyone unwilling to go along with the rituals would be scorned. We would just suppress them and be like, oh, they just dont get it. They dont get it. I mean, if you step out of line you get punished you know, you get a lot of, like, strong thought control, you know, leveled at you. And you get told you what does that mean, strong it means, basically like, using intellect to try to to to outlogic you, to basically say, youre the problem. This problem youre bringing us, no, no, youre the problem. If you question Keith Raniere, the [ bleep ] hits the fan. Like what . You are you are prideful, how dare you, dont you realize you owe everything to him . Im like what . Reporter jen kobelt is an aspiring actress in vancouver, but when she joined nxivm she says her classmates treated her like a star. It was like i was a celebrity, like i walked in and everyone was like whos that girl and they were so nice to me. Reporter she says members were encouraged to socialize with other members, outside friends faded away. We were told things not directly, but subtly do you wanna be surrounded by people who are, you know, just living their life, or do you wanna be surrounded by people who have an Ethical Mission to change the world. Reporter in a recent statement, nxivm claims a ten year study shows extraordinary psychological benefits and results from its teachings. And margot the former coach says nxivm changed her life in positive ways. But she also describes feeling bullied and manipulated by some of the training, which she says caused her psychological trauma. It feels like they got in there and they messed with my wiring, or how i think, or my perceptions, without my consent. Reporter and then theres a case mentioned in Court Filings involving a woman named Kristin Snyder she went missing in 2003 after walking out of a nxivm intensive in alaska, Police Believe she paddled a kayak out into the bone chilling waters of resurrection bay and committed suicide. Her friend, hillary, who asked us not to use her last name, reads a note that kristin left. I attended a course called executive success programs, a. K. A. Nxium, i was brainwashed, and my Emotional Center of the brain was killed, turned off. Please contact my parents. Sorry. If you find me or this note. I am sorry life, i didnt know i was already dead. Reporter Kristin Snyders body has never been found. Coming up claims that Keith Raniere is not just interested in the mind. With keith, sex and his having a relationship with you is how he shares his energy. Reporter with how many people is he sharing his energy . Stay with us. And. Exhale. Breath in. Aflac and a gentle wavelike motion. 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Reporter if you go in search of nxivm founder Keith Raniere, you may get a glimpse of him taking one of his legendary long walks, as we did in 2012. Or you might find his followers enjoying an extended celebration of ranieres birthday at this local resort an annual tradition known as vanguard week. Because it takes a week to celebrate his birthday. People would fly in from all over the world, from mexico, canada, europe, and spend 10 days, 12 days now together celebrating keith. Vanguard is the name. And hes our conceptual leader. Keith raniere is his name. I loved vweek. I loved it. It was like my favorite time of year. I missed my best friends wedding, and it still makes me emotional, because i thought thats more important, to be at vweek. And i missed her wedding. I was so in. Reporter you were deeply in. I was deep in. Reporter Sarah Edmondson says one of ranieres favorite past times was holding court. Literally on a volleyball court. At all hours of the night. So volleyball was his passion or is his passion. He still plays multiple times a week in upstate new york. In between games, there were all these there was rows of, like, women waiting there for him. And the minute the game was over, theyd all rush up. It was like, this weird rock star thing. If there was enough people there, he might stop volleyball and do what he called a forum where people could ask questions and he would answer them. They hung on his every single word. And hed say something. And th theyd go up and think, okay, well, he said blah, blah, blah. Wonder what that means. What if its this. What if and theyd spend, i dont know, weeks tryin to understand that statement. Reporter one thing Sarah Edmondson says was taught consistently was ranieres philosophy of womens empowerment, a theory he called jness. One of the key principles in jness was understanding that the main difference between men and women was that men are designed genetically to not be monogamous, spread their seed. And women genetically are designed to be monogamous. Reporter okay. And not only that, but subservient to men. Reporter subservient . Subservient. Reporter toni natalie says that attitude toward women certainly came through in her experience with keith. In a federal court filing she alleged that nxivm was a cult presided over by Keith Raniere and that he had raped her repeatedly. Keiths need to share what he calls his energy, became pretty aggressive. Reporter his energy . With keith, sex and him having a relationship with you is how he shares his energy. So, when i no longer wanted to have relationships with him any longer, he would force, he would rape me. Reporter in their filings, nxivm lawyers say her allegations are false. They call them scurrilous, scandalous, and slanderous. But the philosopher, some former followers say, was also a philanderer with what amounts to a harem of women around him. I have spoken to five different women who were in the harem, and they have all said, he was kind, and gentle. And it was like having a normal boyfriend except you didnt know when you were gonna see him next. And then hed go off with another woman the next day. And that was incredibly painful, and very hard. Theres all these adoring women. And theyre all skinny beyond belief. They dont seem to do anything without his permission. Reporter how does he do it . Because to be honest, he looks like schlub. Right, right. My personal belief is that its one, gigantic hypnotic induction. Youre stripped away from everything so youre isolated in the fact where, from my experience then, that the only people around you are the people that follow his philosophies. Reporter Barbara Bouchey joined Keith Ranieres Selfhelp Group almost 20 years ago. She was a financial planner. I was grossing about 1 million a year. My client minimum was 1 million. And i was financially independent. Reporter in spite of her success. It was a difficult time in barbaras life. She was in the midst of a divorce, and had lost a close friend to suicide. She says ranieres teachings really helped. It didnt hurt that keith was paying special attention to the latest convert. Told me that he had dreams for two or three years and visions before i came that someone like me was coming. Reporter when they became intimate, barbara says she thought she was keiths one and only, but she was actually one of many. Worse than a broken heart. She says she feared keith would leave her financially broke. Bouchey alleges in Court Filings raniere convinced her to invest with him, saying he had invented a mathematical formula to get rich in the commodities market. Within two months, it cleared through 1. 6 million of my money. Reporter in litigation, keith blamed his broker for the losses. Barbara says he and others around him also tried to blame her bad karma. And it cant be keith, hes a mathematical genius, it cant be his formula. And theyre, like, you know, what if your emotional issues are causing the stock market in this case to fluctuate . What if youre, in a mystical, spiritual way, bringing this onto yourself . Ive had People Killed because of my beliefs and because of their beliefs and because of things ive said. Reporter in 2009 Barbara Bouchey was one of nine women, they call themselves the nxivm nine who confronted keith about the running of the organization. They recorded two days of their own intensive in which they attempt to turn keiths own rational inquiry method against him. Most of it has been sealed by a judge, but a short clip remains online. The effects are our company is falling apart. You dont have the experience of leadership. You dont have the experience of preserving peoples lives with what you say, and the truth of the matter is, if well in a way neither do you. Yes i do. Reporter the nxivm nine, including barbara all quit the group shortly after that confrontation. But nxivm is always recruiting new members. Coming up vanguard goes hollywood. Why are so many young actors following the guru of albany . Reporter why do you think thats reporter and one stars fight to get her daughter back. Shes in danger, in my opinion shes in grave danger. Reporter stay with us. I used to have more hair. I used to have more color. And. I used to have cancer. I beat it. I did. Not alone. I used to have no idea what the American Cancer Society did. Research . Yeah. But also free rides to chemo and free lodging near hospitals. I used to maybe give a little. Then i got so much back. I used to have cancer. Please give at cancer. Org. Little girl and boy land while you dwell within it you are ever happy there daddy, its christmas childhoods joy land never let go of your dreams. The mercedesbenz winter event is back. Lease the glc300 for 449 a month at your local mercedesbenz dealer. Mercedesbenz. The best or nothing. Miim alive and have a second chance. James im thankful for the help and the opportunity that i received. Darlene im thankful to be able to help people in crisis. Vanessa im thankful that addiction is treatable, and that help is available. Christie new jersey is experiencing a heroin epidemic fueled by opioid painkillers. But if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, i want you to know we are here for you. This holiday season, choose help. Call 844 reach nj or visit reachnj. Gov. When i first came, i had what on the surface seemed like the perfect life, or a pretty good life. Reporter allsion mack didnt need coaching to sound convincing on this nxivm testimonial. Shes a pro. Shes best known as a star on smallville. Yes i know allison mack very well. Reporter Sarah Edmondson says when mack came to a weekend event in 2008 she quickly became a favorite of management. And she had a huge following lots of fans. Reporter plenty of fellow actors have at least dabbled in nxivm. There was macks co star on smallville kristen kreuk. Reporter her boyfriend, actor mark hildreth. And hawaii five os grace park appeared in this video with Keith Reniere of these mack is the only one confirmed to have stayed with nxivm long term. That kind of leads me to my next question which has to do with authenticity. Reporter she went from smallville to a big league role with the group ditching hollywood to move to albany. Where she became so close to the vanguardshe appeared in this video conversation with him. So one would say authenticity is being as you are. Reporter his words literally moved her to tears. I dont know why it makes me want to cry its beautiful. Why do you think thats so emotional for me . Yes. I guess because i feel like i just want it authenticity reporter edmundson says it was mack who started that secret sorority in albany along with Keith Reniere those brands on the womens bodies . Edmundson says they dont just have k. R. For Keith Raniere. But they also have a. M. For allison mack. Welcome to teen life im india oxenberg. Reporter another woman who joined macks sorority and may have had those letters seared on her body. Was india oxenberg another young actress whose mother is also in the business. Reporter Katherine Oxenberg is best known for her role in the 80s hit drama dynasty. My name is amanda, amanda bedford. Reporter later she appeared with a very young india in this movie. I found him in the closet. Reporter and a reality show called i married a princess reporter but what she says is the reality of nxivm is something she now wishes she never shared with india. Once i found out about the sex, the branding, the slaves. I went nuts reporter oxenberg hasnt seen her daughter in months. And is both gripped with fear and wracked with guilt because she herself brought india into nxivm. They went to an introductory session together in 2011. I just couldnt wait to get out of there and i said to india what do you think and she said this is for me and i was in shock. How old was she at this time . 19. So pretty. Pretty young, pretty impressionable. Reporter she says trouble started when india, seen here in this nxvium promotional video started taking classes to become a coach. During this time, oxenberg says her daughter burned through her entire inheritance, largely, she believes to pay for those classes. Once she moved to albany she became very secretive the end of last april a defector called me and said you need to save india. Reporter oxenberg says this was the first time she heard about that secret sorority. I mean you must have been out of your mind with worry. I did. There was a period of time, probably a week where i thought i was going to lose my mind. Reporter but a month later. A rare opportunity to confront india. When her daughter came home for a birthday celebration. How did she look to you . She looked sad. She looked tired. Reporter she says her daughter had become very thin a characteristic of many nxivm women were told. Oxenberg says india also revealed she had not men schstrd in a year. Concerned, oxenberg tried an intervention. I said everything wrong. Cause i said darling i believe youre brainwashed and she said im not brainwashed and i said yes you are and she said no im not. So its like we didnt get anywhere. Reporter oxenberg says her daughter denied having sex with Keith Raniere. But did admit she was branded. I said try to convince me that this is a good thing and she said its character building shes over 18 so legally theres nothing i can do. Reporter in a letter posted on the groups website raniere says there is no merit to the allegations that we are abusing, coercing or harming individuals. Raniere says that secret sorority is not part of nxivm and i am not associated with the group. The letter also says our experts say members of the sorority are thriving, healthy, happy, better off, and havent been coerced. India did not respond to our request for comment but she recently posted on facebook a public rebuke to anyone questioning her condition. Saying im absolutely fine great actually you are absolutely convinced, in the deepest core of you as a mother. That your daughter is not great shes not fine . Shes anything but fine. Shes in danger in my opinion shes in grave danger. Reporter so grave that oxenberg is speaking out everywhere she can. It is kind of grotesque that they would refer to it as a social club, when women have been coerced into thinking that recruiting other women to be branded is a positive empowering experience its abuse and it has to be stopped. Reporter but the more she protests. The more she could be leaving herself exposed to nxivms most relentless counterattack. He had my garbage gone through. People have given up their life savings trying to defend themselves. Reporter stay with us. In this home we make breakfast. Sometimes messes but always masterpieces. Together. What matters most is made at home. This this this is my body of proof. Proof of less joint pain and clearer skin. This is my body of proof that i can take on Psoriatic Arthritis with humira. Humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. Its proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. Humira is the 1 prescribed biologic for Psoriatic Arthritis. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Want more proof . Ask your rheumatologist about humira. Whats your body of proof . Reporter weve heard from hollywood actresses and former lovers whove shared bad experiences with Keith Raneire and nxivm. But they also share another painful bond. Ive been sued and restraining orders on me. Ive received threats from the company already. His weapon of choice is the legal system. They just wanna use the litigation, in my opinion, to silence you, harass you, threaten you, and financially cripple. Reporter terrorism by litigation is what toni natalie has called it in Court Filings. Shes been sued repeatedly and doggedly, and so far, she says, unsuccessfully. I believe that the reason that you havent heard from more people is theyre afraid of being sued. Reporter a judge tossed out one of ranieres cases against natalie, saying it smacks of a jilted fellows attempt at revenge or retaliation against his former girlfriend. And barbara bochey says when she quit and threatened to go to the press, she got the same treatment. Ive been dragged into 14 lawsuits, and its cost me 700,000. Imagine 800 Court Filings. Just try that on for a moment. Reporter almost broke bouchey says she was repeatedly forced to go to Court Without a lawyer. But still won case after case. The worst came one Christmas Eve when bouchey says she was arrested on criminal charges. Nxivm claimed shed illegally logged into their computers, but that too was later dismissed. Youre instantly an enemy when you leave instantly shunned, instantly cut off, instantly worthless garbage, a liar, bad person. Keith ranieres group has claimed its litigation is just an effort to protect its intellectual property and reputation. Those efforts have likely cost them millions of dollars. But as reporter Brendan Lyons found, legal filings allege Keith Raniere has two secret weapons these sisters. The bronfmans, claire and sarah, who are the heiresses to the seagrams liquor fortune, have been, uh, in large respect, the bankroll for nxivm, for its litigation. Reporter these high Society Sisters have plenty in the bank to roll. Their late father was Edgar Bronfman multibillionaire seagrams distillary chairman. That bronfman cash allowed the sisters to host the dalai lamas visit to albany. My friends, these two young ladies. Whos even on nxivms executive board just posted this online, ive seen so much good come from both our programs and from keith himself. People have given up their life savings trying to defend themselves. And theyre up against the millions of dollars that the bronfmans have at their disposal reporter Court Filings ail ledge nxivm hired private investigators to dig dirt on opponents. And bouchey was surpised to get this call from a high level nxivm defector describing how far they allegedly went. They ultimately went ahead and got Financial Information on you, on toni on every judge in every case that they were involved in. Reporter also targeted, she says are journalists who wrote about the group and outside critics. They spent well over a Million Dollars i never really thought that i would end up in litigation with Keith Raniere for over 10 years. Reporter longtime critic rick ross says hes helped some members leave. Then he was targeted after calling nxivm a cult on his website. Ranieres group sued unsuccessfully accusing him of making false and misleading representations. He had my garbage gone through. He actually paid for my garbage. Reporter and thats not all. Ross says his Private Banking and phone records were dug up during all these grueling Court Battles with ranieres group. Is there something about his personality that im missing when i see him on videotape . The federal court would order mediation. So i would have to sit in a room with him what i would say is, is he charismatic . No. I think hes kind of boring, theres one word Keith Raniere cannot handle, and thats the word no. Reporter toni natalie told police her mailbox was illegally searched. Court filings also allege private investigators working for nxivm harassed friends and colleagues of those they were suing. Though nxivm and the private investigators deny all these allegations. Now the company may have opened a new legal front south of the border. I got a letter from a lawyer, and then a state attorney general, stamped, saying cease and desist or you will be imprisoned. Cease and desist what . From speaking. The reason i finally decided to give this interview is i dont want him abusing me or other women or other people anymore. And it needs to stop. Reporter coming up will the recent torrent of accusations finally attract the attention of Law Enforcement . And if trouble does come how will vanguard react . What frightens me is where does he go from here . People may be ordered to do something thats very destructive. And theyll do it. Today were out here with some big news. Jardiance is the only type 2 diabetes pill proven to both significantly reduce the chance of dying from a cardiovascular event in adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease. And lower your a1c. Wow. Jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. This may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. Ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing. Stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of ketoacidosis or an allergic reaction. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. Do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. Other side effects are sudden kidney problems, genital yeast infections, increased bad cholesterol, and urinary tract infections, which may be serious. Taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. What do you think . I think its time to think about jardiance. Ask your doctor about jardiance. And get to the heart of what matters. Virtual realityall virtually useless without a new computer. All i see is darkness. Give intel 8th gen core to power all the latest tech. Give joy with 25 off nikejoy. And get joy with kohls cash for you take 25 off select nike hoodies, shoes and more for the whole family nike presents for them, kohls cash for you give joy, get joy with nike at kohls. But on the inside, i feel like chronic, widespread pain. Fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real. Fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. Lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. Im glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. For some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. And improves function. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. Common side effects dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. Those whove had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. With less pain, i can do more with my family. Talk to your doctor today. See if lyrica can help. Reporter just two weeks ago, in monterrey mexico, a nxvim event was held in this private home. We found that interesting, because someone got a photo of a man believed to be the vanguard himself walking in monterrey. Our producer knocked on some doors, but found no trace of the nxivm guru. Why would raneire be in mexico . Perhaps, because there are now reports of new heat in new york state. A possible investigation by the Attorney Generals Office and questions about how sarah edmundsons complaints about the branding were handled. When i went to the authorities they said, you consented to it. She says the police told her thats why they wouldnt act and the state department of health said, it was not medical misconduct. Edmundson thinks reneire himself should be held accountable. She says shes sure he knew about the branding because she says she saw a text come in from him as she held another womans phone filming what was happening. When we were doing the branding, a text came through from keith and it said, how are they all doing with each other . So he knew . He knew. He knew that we were all being branded. But as bad as that was those already speaking out worry the worst may be yet to come. What frightens me is where does he go from here . Do you worry about nightmare scenarios . I do worry, i worry a lot. What is that nightmare . Im worried that people may be ordered to do something thats very destructive, and that theyll do it. Insiders believe that reneire has access to a tropical sanctuary in the South Pacific paradise of fiji. As seem in this real estate listing, its a former resort said to have been purchased by clareh bronfman. Fleeing to fiji could happen . Fleeing to fiji very easily could happen and theyre all set up to have a very comfortable life there. Catherine oxenberg, who weve learned met with the new york Attorney Generals Office recently fears if that happened, she might never see her daughter india again. Is that your biggest fear . My biggest fear is the kool aid situation. Kool aid situation . You mean like jim jones . Yes, yes i do. Why . Thats a big step. Not from what hes done, i mean the level of manipulation. If this is about power and control over people one can not minimize what this person is capable of. Thats scary to contemplate. Its horrendous. The former members we met all say their time in nxivm and its aftermath have exacted a heavy emotional toll. Nexium critics say the risks are real, the challenges daunting but speaking out is the only way out. Its opened up a portal right now to shine a light on the darkness. This is the best opportunity were going to get. For this report we repeatedly reached out for comment to keith, nancy, allison mack and the bronfman sisters. None responded. Im david muir. Im Elizabeth Vargas. For all of us here at 20 20 and abc news have a great night and have a great weekend. Coming up on action news, our rush hour snow causes chaos across the creejen, and ways to beat opiod addiction. Thats a special report next. Action news, delaware valleys leading news program with jim gardner. Thank goodness thats over. It was onehe worst evening ru