Federal prosecutors in New York have charged Nicole Daedone, the 56-year-old founder of "orgasmic meditation" company OneTaste, with forced labor conspiracy. Former head-of-sales Rachel Cherwitz, 43, is also in big trouble.
"The defendants advertised their company as being able to help individuals recover from past trauma," said FBI assistant-director-in-charge Michael Driscoll. "In reality, they allegedly targeted their victims in order to manipulate them not only into debt but to limit their independence and create a reliance on OneTaste for basic needs."
From The Guardian:
Prosecutors with the US attorney's office said the defendants also subjected OneTaste members to surveillance in communal homes, instructed them to engage in sex acts for "freedom and enlightenment" and failed to pay promised wages.
Daedone and Cherwitz's "years-long scheme" subjected members to "economic, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse … indoctrination, and intimidation", the US attorney's office said in a statement announcing the charges.
"Under the guise of empowerment and wellness, the defendants are alleged to have sought complete control over their employees' lives, including by driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages," said Breon Peace, the US attorney[…]
Daedone and Cherwitz are also accused of recruiting and grooming members to "engage in sexual acts with OneTaste's current and prospective investors, clients, employees and beneficiaries" for their financial benefit.
You may recall that Netflix told the OneTaste story in the recent documentary Orgasm Inc. Trailer below:
