Don't Call it a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM

by Sarah Berman

To prove any kind of racketeering, there needs to be an “enterprise” of multiple people. Over a period of up to ten years, each member has to have agreed to commit at least two crimes in service of a common goal. Law books call this “a pattern of racketeering.” The goal itself doesn’t have to be criminal, as many gangs and Ponzi schemes have purely money-making ends. Raniere’s goal, according to prosecutors, was allegedly to enrich and promote himself, which facilitated his access to women.