The Promise of Empowerment: NXIVM, Sex Trafficking, and Social Network Analysis

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

From the outside, NXIVM portrayed itself as an organization focused on helping young men and women become their best selves. This promise was simply the recruitment strategy. In reality, the new religious movement (NRM) abused, enslaved, and trafficked its members. Shutdown in 2018 following the arrest of their leader, Keith Raniere, and other high-ranking followers, NXIVM has impacted how we traditionally perceive NRMs, as most new religious movements are not often associated with organized crime, specifically sex trafficking. This study employs social network analysis to examine NXIVM’s criminal network in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, further expanding the discussion surrounding new religious movements and crime in recent years. In the future, additional case studies examining NRMs and their networks will be necessary to gain a better understanding of those who join NRMs and how the relations within the movement impact their behavior towards in-group members, non-members, or both.

Author

• Kelley Jo Massingale, Simon Fraser University