Nicki Clyne | |
---|---|
Born | 1982or1983(age 40–41) [1] Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2000–present |
Notable work | Battlestar Galactica |
Spouse | |
Website | www |
Nicki Clyne is a Canadian actress, known for her role as Cally Henderson on the SyFy television series Battlestar Galactica . Clyne was a member of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company founded by Keith Raniere that has been described by former members, the media, and cult experts as a cult. [2] [3]
Clyne is known for her role as Cally Henderson in the 2003 reimagining of Battlestar Galactica (BSG). Like several members of the cast, she was originally cast in a minor, non-recurring role but, having impressed the showrunners, became a major part of the series until her character's death in season four. [4] Prior to BSG, she had guest parts on sci-fi and supernatural shows including Dark Angel , Smallville , The Twilight Zone , and The Dead Zone . In 2018, she appeared with fellow Battlestar alumnus Richard Hatch in the web series Personal Space. [5]
She was also featured in two episodes of the podcast Tiki Bar TV , [6] and presented an episode of HypaSpace .[ citation needed ] She stars alongside Lance Henriksen, Danielle Harris, Bill Moseley, and AFI's Davey Havok in the "illustrated film" series Godkiller . [7] Clyne hosted two seasons of Syfy's Blastr TV, covering science fiction pop culture and events. [8] She appeared in the independent film Lunamancer.
Clyne was a member of NXIVM, a now defunct multi-level marketing large-group awareness training company founded by Keith Raniere and headquartered in Albany, New York. She states she attended her first NXIVM event In November 2005, an "intensive with Executive Success Programs (ESP)," one of several NXIVM companies. [9] Prosecutors dismantled NXIVM's corporation structures in 2020 by seizing First Principles Inc., the company with title to NXIVM and Keith Raniere's intellectual property. [10] Following Raniere's 2019 conviction of human trafficking and sexual abuse, Clyne continued to support Raniere and advocated for his release. Clyne was part of the remaining NXIVM members and continued to defend NXIVM and its practice. On March 27, 2023, the Frank Report published a statement from Clyne stating that she would no longer defend Keith Raniere. [11]
In 2014, NXIVM adherent Rosa Laura Junco (daughter of Alejandro Junco de la Vega) founded the media organization The Knife of Aristotle, later shortened to The Knife. Clyne was given a job with the organization, and was credited as its "Executive Producer". [12] [13]
By Clyne's own account, she helped Keith Raniere found a "secret sisterhood" that started in 2015 called "DOS" (also known as "the Sorority", and "the Vow"). [9] The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said that DOS was arranged as a pyramidal organization, with Raniere at the apex and subordinates Clyne, Mack and others as its "First Line". The First Line were Raniere's direct slaves, instructed to become "masters" by recruiting slaves of their own. The slaves of the First Line (and below) were to treat Raniere as "Grandmaster," but were not allowed at first to know of Raniere's participation. [14]
The DOS sorority required a number of acts of devotion involving masochism or submission. These acts included ceremonies conducted in the nude, one involving branding with a symbol that (undisclosed to several recipients) was a monogram of the initials of Keith A Raniere. [15] Members were instructed to provide humiliating photos and derogatory information about themselves as "collateral" used to blackmail them into obedience. At Raniere's trial, several recruits to DOS indicated their masters told them to have sex with Keith Raniere or an individual acting as his proxy. The group also practiced forms of corporal punishment ("penances") as well as severe caloric restriction and sleep deprivation. [16] [17] [18] [19]
In October 2017 the New York Times ran an expose of Raniere, NXIVM, and its relationship to DOS. The article featured Sarah Edmondson who gave her account of the branding ceremony. [20] Raniere fled to Mexico in November 2017. Clyne later accidentally revealed his location on her Instagram, sharing a photo of a Puerto Vallarta landmark revealing his whereabouts to the FBI. [21] In March 2018, Mexican police raided the vacation home where Raniere and DOS members Clyne, Mack, and Lauren Salzman were staying. The Mexican government deported Raniere as persona non grata , and he was arrested by the United States. [22] Lauren Salzman later testified that the day of the raid was supposed to be a "recommitment ceremony" involving group sex with Raniere. [23]
After Raniere's arrest, a grand jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York continued investigating Raniere and his associates, including Clyne. In addition to Keith Raniere, prosecutors charged Allison Mack, Clare Bronfman, and several others for activities involving either DOS or NXIVM. Several were indicted in a racketeering enterprise indictment centering on human and sex trafficking of NXIVM and DOS members, as well as illegal acts targeting enemies of the organization. [24] [25] In the course of the investigation, the government subpoenaed Clyne to testify before the grand jury. She invoked her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, and was not indicted. [26]
At Raniere's trial, cooperating witness Lauren Salzman (a fellow DOS "First Line" member) testified that Clyne joined her in editing the recording of Sarah Edmondson's branding in a failed bid to preempt the October 2017 New York Times report. [27]
Salzman also testified at trial to the existence of a DOS "Sorority House" in Halfmoon, New York which hosted events where DOS slaves paddled and whipped one another, and where DOS slaves planned "seduction assignments" intended to traffic women for Raniere's gratification. Sex toys including a human-size cage and puppy play gear were also introduced as proof the house was used for human and sex trafficking. [28] [29] [30]
An FBI agent's affidavit supporting asset forfeiture indicates that while Rosa Laura Junco provided funds and owned the LLC that bought the DOS Sorority House, Clyne was Managing Member of the LLC and her passport included in purchase paperwork. After the DOS Sorority House was sold in 2018, proceeds were deposited into a trust account held by Clyne's lawyer, Edward Sapone. After Raniere's conviction, a magistrate judge authorized the seizure of the funds in August 2019. [31] [32]
In a 2020 prosecution memorandum opposing the retrial of Keith Raniere, prosecutors stated their position that "the cache of DOS materials, including collateral, in Clyne’s possession is the product of fraud and extortion, as was demonstrated at trial." [33] Devising restitution for the victims of Raniere, Judge Nicholas Garaufis ordered that as restitution, "all lower-ranking DOS members are statutorily entitled to the return of their collateral." Due to Fifth Amendment concerns, this order was stayed until 60 days after the ruling on Raniere's appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. [34] The Circuit ruled Raniere's appeal was "without merit" on December 9, 2022. [35]
Following Raniere's conviction, Clyne and other NXIVM members launched an activist group We Are As You and accompanying website WeAreTheForgottenOnes.org. [36] The members of the organization danced outside of Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, where Raniere was detained. [37] The group faced backlash from former NXIVM members for using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag on its social media posts and questioning why it only targeted the prison where Raniere is located, and how it could serve as a possible attempt to recruit new members. [38]
In August 2020, the government filed exhibits ahead of Raniere's sentencing indicating that he sent messages to Clyne through the Federal Bureau of Prisons-monitored TRULINCS email system, the contents of which include messages condemning government witnesses for having "broken vows," and calling them "apostate sorority sisters." [39]
In September 2020, one month before Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison, [40] Clyne spoke out in his defense in an interview with CBS News This Morning . [41] [42] Footage of Clyne was used in season one of the HBO documentary series The Vow . [43] In the show's second season, she is interviewed on camera, continuing to defend Raniere despite others, particularly Sarah Edmondson, expressing regret for having enticed her into NXIVM. [44]
Clyne has a verified Twitter account. [45] Since Raniere's conviction, she has used it to advocate on his behalf; the Times Union has documented that this included an alleged threat to publicly identify Raniere's sex trafficking victims who were granted anonymity by court order. [46] In April 2022, Clyne used her account to share a copy of a motion related to Keith Raniere's appeal, which claims that the FBI framed Keith Raniere. [47]
Clyne appears on a number of social media outlets expressing support for causes célèbres of conservatism in the United States in addition to stating Raniere's innocence. She has appeared on video in conversation with Scott Adams, [48] Destiny, and James A. Lindsay. [49] Clyne's comments in support of Kyle Rittenhouse were shared by Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY). [50]
Through a filing by the U.S. Attorney, the Bureau maintains that, "[Raniere] circumvented mail monitoring by communicating with Ms. Clyne through another inmate and using her to communicate with Clare Bronfman, a NXIVM associate and co-defendant of Plaintiff who is serving time in federal prison." [51]
Clyne, Mack, and other NXIVM associates were named as defendants in a civil lawsuit filed in federal court by 80 former NXIVM members in January 2020. The lawsuit accuses the NXIVM organization of being a pyramid scheme, exploiting its recruits, conducting illegal human experiments, and making it "physically and psychologically difficult, and in some cases impossible, to leave the coercive community." [52] [53] Clyne is defending herself pro se, and in a statement says, "I do not have any assets that would grant any relief or compensation for the Plaintiffs’ alleged hardships… I have a 2011 Subaru to my name." [54]
Clyne has given statements to a federal court and the press that she was a sexual partner of Keith Raniere for over a decade. [9] Clyne married American actress Allison Mack, a fellow member of NXIVM and DOS in 2017. The marriage was alleged to be a sham to keep Clyne in the United States. [55] [56] A witness at the ceremony later confirmed the marriage was fake. [57] Mack filed paperwork in Orange County, California to divorce Clyne in 2020. [1]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Saved! | Guitar Player | |
2004 | Ill Fated | Barb | |
2006 | John Tucker Must Die | Beautiful Girl #2 | |
2010 | Godkiller | Soledad (voice) | |
2010 | Godkiller: Walk Among Us | Soledad (voice) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Just Deal | Girl Student #2 | Episode: "Homecoming" |
2001 | Level 9 | Alesha | Episode: "Avatar" |
2001 | Hostage Negotiator | Alicia | TV film |
2001 | Dark Angel | Fixit / X6 | Episode: "Bag 'Em" |
2002 | Smallville | Talon Waitress | Episode: "Nicodemus" |
2002 | Mysterious Ways | June Grissom | Episode: "Listen" |
2002 | Due East | Stacy | TV film |
2002 | Damaged Care | Bryanna's College Friend | TV film |
2002 | I Was a Teenage Faust | Heather | TV film |
2002 | The Twilight Zone | Theresa | Episode: "Night Route" |
2003 | The Dead Zone | Erin Salkowe | Episode: "Descent" |
2003 | Battlestar Galactica | Cally | TV miniseries |
2004 | The L Word | Delilah | Episode: "Losing It" |
2004 | Zolar | Keiko | TV film |
2004 | Dead Like Me | Janelle | Episode: "In Escrow" |
2004–2008 | Battlestar Galactica | Cally Henderson Tyrol | Recurring role (36 episodes) |
2005 | Tiki Bar TV | Space Cadet | TV series |
2006 | Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance | Crewman Specialist Cally Tyrol | TV miniseries |
2006 | Totally Awesome | Billie | TV film |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | World War Z | Sharon |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Personal Space | Gail Gartner | Published through Prime Video Direct |
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NXIVM was a cult led by Keith Raniere, who is now a convicted racketeer and sex offender. NXIVM is also the name of the defunct company that Raniere founded in 1998, which provided seminars ostensibly about human potential and served as a front organization for criminal activity by Raniere and his close associates.
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Keith Allen Raniere is an American cult leader who was convicted of a pattern of racketeering activity, including human trafficking, sex offenses and fraud. Raniere co-founded NXIVM, a purported self-help multi-level marketing company offering personal development seminars and headquartered in Albany, New York. Operating from 1998 to 2018, NXIVM had 700 members at its height, including celebrities and the wealthy. Within NXIVM, Raniere was referred to as "Vanguard".
Clare Webb Bronfman is an American heiress, convicted felon and former leader of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company and cult based near Albany, New York. She is the youngest daughter of billionaire philanthropist and former Seagram liquor chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr. After a brief equestrian career, Bronfman began involvement in NXIVM, a business engaged in criminal activities during 1998–2018, which led to indictments on federal charges, including sex trafficking.
Sara Rosner Bronfman is the daughter of the billionaire former Seagram chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr. Bronfman was a leading funder and a member of the leadership team for the controversial multi-level marketing company and cult NXIVM, as was her sister, Clare Bronfman.
Carlos Emiliano Salinas Occelli is a Mexican venture capitalist and businessman. He is the son of former Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari.
Artvoice began in Buffalo, New York, in 1990 as a free weekly print publication and quickly grew from 10,000 circulation to 65,000 circulation. A national newspaper auditing company gave the paper an audited monthly readership of 250,000, the readership is greater than the circ because as a weekly it gets passed around for days. Artvoice covered arts, theater, music, food, sports, politics, urban development and environmental issues in the Buffalo region. Artvoice first published content on Artvoice.com in 1996 and was one of first newspapers to include video on its website. It was founded by Jamie Moses in June, 1990. In 2010, Artvoice celebrated its 20th anniversary in its June edition with a time frame of the history of the publication.
Marc Elliot is an American former motivational speaker and a loyal follower of Keith Raniere and his organization NXIVM, a purported self-improvement company which has been widely accused of being a criminal organization and a cult. Elliot has claimed the group helped him overcome Tourette syndrome. Since Raniere was sentenced to 120 years for racketeering and other crimes, Elliot has advocated for the conviction to be overturned.
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Nancy L. Salzman is an American convicted felon and the co-founder of NXIVM, a multi-level marketing company and cult based near Albany, New York. A former nurse, Salzman worked with Keith Raniere in the development of the organization beginning in the 1990s.
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Frank Parlato Jr. is an American publisher. He publishes the Frank Report, Artvoice, and The Niagara Falls Reporter. Parlato is widely credited for bringing attention to the NXIVM cult when he published the article "Branded Slaves and Master Raniere" on June 5, 2017.
The Lost Women of NXIVM is a two-hour documentary premiered on Investigation Discovery on December 8, 2019. Former NXIVM publicist Frank Parlato, who first revealed that NXIVM was branding women, takes a deep dive to answer the questions surrounding the tragic deaths and mysterious disappearances of five women who all had connections to NXIVM. The documentary exploring what happened to the women who were members of personality cult of imprisoned racketeer and sex offender Keith Raniere, who either vanished or died in mysterious circumstances. The documentary stars narrator Michelle Wong, investigator and whistleblower Frank Parlato, former NXIVM consultant Roger Stone, and archive footage of NXIVM founder Keith Raniere.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Among the leaders listed on the staff page of The Knife of Aristotle, you'll notice an Executive Producer—a role rarely represented in journalistic publications. I thought the person looked familiar, and it's because she's sci-fi actress Nicki Clyne, known for her role as Cally Tyrol on Battlestar Galactica. Nicki, along with the other siterunners, represent young members of a group called NXIVM.
In a letter, the agency said it would not look into Dr. Roberts because she was not acting as Ms. Edmondson's doctor when the branding is said to have happened.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Women in the NXIVM case have hidden behind their anonymity long enough. With equal privilege comes equal responsibility. Time's up!