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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has rejected three appeals from NXIVM founder Keith Raniere, including his request for a new trial. Raniere, currently serving a 120-year sentence in an Arizona federal prison, was convicted of racketeering, wire-fraud conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking. His appeal for a new trial was based on claims that new evidence was withheld during his original trial, which he argued could have undermined his conviction.
The appeals court found Raniere's arguments to be without merit. Raniere, known as "Vanguard" to his followers, also called for the recusal of senior U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis, claiming the court abused its discretion on post-conviction discovery. However, the court dismissed these claims.
The federal case against Raniere centered on his leadership of NXIVM and the secretive all-women's group DOS, which stood for Dominus Obsequious Sororium. Although promoted as a women's empowerment group, DOS operated as a pyramid structure with Raniere at the top as "grandmaster."
Spectrum Local News reported that the court concluded Raniere's arguments had "no merit."