The founder and the sales chief of an "orgasmic meditation" company were convicted by a Brooklyn Jury of coercing members into degrading work at the cultlike wellness group. Jurors deliberated for two days after a five-week trial. The two now "face up to 20 years in prison" when they are sentenced.
They said Daedone, 57, of New York, and Cherwitz, 44, of California, used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts they found uncomfortable or repulsive, such as having sex with prospective investors or clients.
Unless they demonstrated their "commitment to the organization's principles," followers were told they would not obtain freedom, enlightenment, or, of course, their earnings. Some were "forced to take out new credit cards to continue taking the company's courses."
Here's Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York: "The jury's verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants' benefit."
OneTaste, promoting "orgasmic meditation" ("OM") was founded in San Francisco in 2004 and grew internationally through the 2010s. The marketing master stroke: group masturbation sessions led by men. By 2017 it was generating $12m a year; Daedone sold it for that amount shortly before a Netflix exposé was broadcast and the FBI launched a sex trafficking investigation that ultimately led to these charges.
