Convicted NXIVM cult leader's defense accuses FBI of evidence tampering

Expert cybercrime analysts for a convicted enactment trafficker accidental grounds for immoderate of the astir shocking charges against him was tampered with and planted connected retention drives that were expected to beryllium successful unafraid FBI custody, according to tribunal documents.

NXIVM enactment cult laminitis Keith Raniere, 64, is serving a 120-year condemnation astatine a national situation successful Tuscon, Arizona. Prosecutors said helium recruited women and girls into a enactment cult disguised arsenic a self-help organization. He had an "inner circle" of "slaves" and "masters." Some of the women branded Raniere's initials connected their bodies. Prosecutors allege helium held a home servant captive successful a country for astir 2 years.

One survivor, India Oxenberg, told the FOX News True Crime Podcast she endured "dehumanizing" treatment, including "repeated molestation and rape" earlier she and her parent escaped the cult.

The FBI declined to remark erstwhile reached by Fox News Digital.

FOUNDER OF SELF-HELP GROUP NXIVM, KEITH RANIERE, SENTENCED TO 120 YEARS FOR SEX TRAFFICKING

Keith Raniere, the ex-leader of NXIVM, was convicted successful 2019 of 7 counts that included racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, ligament fraud conspiracy, forced labour conspiracy, enactment trafficking, enactment trafficking conspiracy and attempted enactment trafficking.  (YouTube           )

In summation to the maltreatment against big victims, national prosecutors charged that Raniere was 45 and a kid victim, identified lone arsenic "Camila," was 15 erstwhile helium took photos of her and sexually abused her. 

Raniere's pb attorney, Joseph Tully, told Fox News Digital the grounds utilized to convict his lawsuit of the "most heinous" charges — kid pornography and kid exploitation — was "provably" doctored and planted by the FBI.

"If I could conscionable person a hearing, I could conscionable amusement the satellite that, arsenic outrageous arsenic it seems, that this tampering did happen, and it did hap portion successful FBI custody," helium said. 

At contented are dozens of photographs connected a representation paper and hard thrust that defence experts accidental had their timestamps altered, allegedly making it look similar a young pistillate was nether the property of consent astatine the clip they were taken. Between April 2019 and June 2019, further photos allegedly appeared connected the FBI's forensic report, according to tribunal filings.

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Alan Dershowitz, the salient law lawyer, is not portion of Raniere's squad but consulted with his attorneys aft learning of the allegations of FBI malfeasance.

He told Fox News Digital that if Raniere's experts are correct, it would magnitude to "a staggering authorities enactment of misconduct." If the allegations beryllium true, it could impact different cases.

SEX CULT CONVICT KEITH RANIERE'S FORMER NEIGHBORS 'TERRIFIED' AFTER DOCUMENTARY CLAIMS HE POISONED WOMEN IN NY HOME

The NXIVM Executive Success Programs motion extracurricular the bureau astatine 455 New Karner Road April 26, 2018, successful Albany, N.Y. Keith Raniere, laminitis of NXIVM, was arrested by the FBI successful Mexico successful March 2018.  (Amy Luke/Getty Images)

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He said the precocious instauration of charges involving a kid tipped the standard successful favour of the prosecution.

"They had an alleged very, very, precise anemic lawsuit against the defendant, precise weak. He easy could person won the case, and then, astatine the past minute, they ‘discovered’ a photograph of a female, naked, who they assertion was underage," helium told Fox News Digital successful an interview. "Now, erstwhile you present into grounds thing involving an underage female, the lawsuit is over."

Another suspect astir instantly took a plea deal, helium said. Four different co-defendants yet chose to plead out, too.

Read the affidavit of Dr. Kiper:

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But defence experts, successful a bid of declarations filed successful national tribunal past month, present accidental the photographs were taken erstwhile the pistillate was supra the property of consent and past tampered with to marque it look similar they had been done earlier.

"Why shouldn't we person a hearing? And this doesn't lone impact Mr. Raniere. It involves each American," Dershowitz said. "When you person idiosyncratic successful jail, who is determination arsenic a effect of tampered with authorities evidence, it's the Soviet Union. It's Iran. It's China. It's not the United States of America."

NICKI CLYNE DEFENDS NXIVM SEX CULT LEADER KEITH RANIERE, CALLS HIM HER FORMER 'PARTNER' FOR 'OVER A DECADE'

Clare Bronfman, an heiress of the Seagram's liquor empire, arrives for a proceeding connected charges related to the Albany-based enactment NXIVM astatine the United States Federal Courthouse successful Brooklyn, N.Y., July 25, 2018. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

The FBI did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected the defence experts' findings. The U.S. Attorney's Office that handled the lawsuit declined to comment. A effect is not owed successful tribunal until Jan. 27.

It's unclear wherefore the FBI oregon national prosecutors would allegedly framework Raniere, but Tully, who wrote a 2018 publication astir corruption successful the transgression justness system, said his lawsuit had highly affluent enemies and was conscionable unpopular.

"They wanted to ‘get him,'" helium told Fox News Digital. "When the fashionable kid successful schoolhouse wants to marque 1 of the poorer kids who has holes successful his shoes the laughingstock of the school, they bash it. And that benignant of quality behaviour doesn’t alteration erstwhile those kids turn up and get their instrumentality grade and privation to go prosecutors."

Newsweek archetypal reported the allegations successful precocious December, but Raniere has inactive not received a proceeding astir a period later.

Actress Allison Mack arrives astatine the United States Eastern District Court May 4, 2018, aft a bail proceeding for enactment trafficking charges filed against her successful the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The histrion known for her relation connected "Smallville" was charged with enactment trafficking, on with alleged cult person Keith Raniere. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

"And the authorities is hopeless not to person a hearing," Dershowitz said. "They bash not privation the nationalist grounds to amusement that 7 experts, including immoderate who worked for the FBI, who they usage to get convictions against people, are present saying that this was a tampered portion of evidence."

Raniere's defence lawyers are asking for a caller trial. In a tribunal filing, they alleged that the "government knowingly utilized doctored grounds to unafraid a conviction" based connected the conclusions of 7 of their experts.

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Raniere billed himself arsenic a wellness guru, and his programme attracted salient women to his orbit, including histrion Allison Mack and Seagram's heiress Clare Bronfman, some of whom were convicted of lesser charges. Critics called NXIVM a cult centered connected sex trafficking and abuse.

A cardinal allegation successful the racketeering lawsuit against Raniere was that helium had a intersexual narration with "Camila," the alleged 15-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 120 years successful prison.

WATCH: NXIVM cult subsister recounts mental, carnal abuse

Dr. Richard Kiper, a starring adept and erstwhile FBI cause who specialized successful cybersecurity and integer evidence, wrote successful a 59-page affidavit that portion reviewing the lawsuit for the defense, helium "discovered circumstantial actions that were taken to manually change the evidence" and enactment the prosecution's allegations.

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"In my 20 years serving arsenic an FBI agent, I person ne'er observed oregon claimed that an FBI worker tampered with evidence, integer oregon otherwise," helium wrote. "But successful this case, I powerfully judge the multiple, intentional alterations to the integer accusation I person discovered represent grounds manipulation."