Sex cult lawyer: ‘Being mean is not a crime’
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BROOKLYN (CN) — Prosecutors say leaders of a Bay Area company described by witnesses as a “sex cult” groomed and manipulated employees into doing menial labor and sex work for little to no pay. A defense attorney on Wednesday said it was the government that was manipulating the narrative to fit a criminal scheme that didn’t exist.
The company’s founder, Nicole Daedone, 57, and former head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, 44, each face one count of forced labor conspiracy for their dealings at OneTaste, a startup that branded sex acts as a form of meditation.
During four weeks of testimony, former employees who testified said they stayed in jobs where they were publicly humiliated, screamed at, sleep-deprived and ordered to do sexual favors for investors and wealthy clients because they feared losing their connection to a community that had become their whole world.
“They didn’t see themselves as victims. Not until the government came knocking years later,” said Celia Cohen, a defense attorney for Cherwitz, during closing arguments Wednesday, referencing social media posts and messages where they praised Daedone and OneTaste.
OneTaste clients paid thousands of dollars for courses and coaching programs in a practice Daedone dubbed “orgasmic meditation,” or OM, pronounced like the chant invoked in yoga and meditation. In stark contrast to the traditional solo practice of meditation, however, Daedone’s invention is a partnered sex act that involves methodically stroking a woman’s genitals for 15 minutes — or in the case of “male OM,” giving a man a hand job.
Former sales employees said they were expected to OM with anyone off the street. Some were assigned to sexually service OneTaste’s main investor in its early days, Reese Jones, who was Daedone’s boyfriend at the time.
Cohen said that while witnesses may now look back and regret being part of the community in their twenties, they were willing participants at the time.
“Every witness admitted this is what they came for. OMing changed their lives and they loved it,” Cohen said. “They weren’t being forced to stay, forced to have sex. They wanted it … they wanted it badly.”
Witnesses also described Cherwitz as a cruel and abusive boss who ignited fear that if they stepped out of line, they would be publicly shamed, shunned and chastised.
“If she was calling people names and making them feel bad, let me be clear: Being mean is not a crime,” Cohen said.
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