An ‘orgasmic meditation’ sex guru accused of keeping women in residential warehouses and forcing them into sex acts has surrendered to cops.
Nicole Daedone, former CEO of ‘sexual wellness’ company OneTaste, turned herself into the Brooklyn Federal Court Tuesday morning. The 56-year-old is set to be arraigned this afternoon, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Daedone founded the San Francisco-based firm in 2004 and it soon became renowned for orgasmic meditation (OM) which promised to help clients ‘reclaim their sexuality.’
But last week Daedone and her top lieutenant Rachel Cherwitz, 43, were hit with a federal indictment which accused them of forcing volunteers, contractors, and employees into sex acts using cult-like tactics.
The pair are charged with conspiracy to violate federal laws prohibiting the use of forced labor. Prosecutors say the alleged victims were kept under surveillance and made dependent on Daedone and Cherwitz for shelter and basic necessities.
Nicole Daedone, 56, founder and former CEO of OneTaste, surrendered at the Brooklyn federal courthouse Tuesday morning, and is expected to be arraigned this afternoon
OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone, 56, (left) and her top lieutenant Rachel Cherwitz, 43, (right) were charged in a federal indictment accusing them of extracting forced labor
An OM class is seen above, in which a woman, naked from the waist down, has her clitoris methodically ‘stroked’ for exactly 15 minutes by a man
If convicted, they each face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Cherwitz, who was the head of sales for OneTaste, was arrested on June 6 in California, while Daedone remained at large and was believed to be overseas prior to turning herself in.
In a statement to DailyMail.com last week, current OneTaste CEO Anjuli Ayer slammed the charges as ‘unfounded’ and the result of a ‘misogynistic, media-driven campaign to tear down a feminine empowerment project and the women who devoted their lives to it.’
OM exploded in popularity following a 2009 New York Times profile of OneTaste, and at one point the company was reportedly raking in $12 million a year from eager clients.
But in 2018, the FBI launched an investigation when ex-customers came forward saying they were left in debt after paying for expensive classes, and former employees said they were told to engage in sexual relations with potential clients to close sales.
Now, prosecutors say that between 2004 and 2018, Daedone and Cherwitz deployed a series of abusive and manipulative tactics in order to obtain the labor and services of a group of OneTaste members, including volunteers, contractors, and employees.
The indictment alleges that the duo used tactics designed to render the OneTaste members dependent on the group for their shelter and basic necessities, and to limit members’ independence and control.
Members of OM were allegedly kept in ‘residential warehouses’ where they were forced into sex acts.
OM involves a woman, naked from the waist down, having her clitoris ‘stroked’ for exactly 15 minutes by a man, either her own partner or another paying customer.
Prosecutors say the alleged victims were subjected to ‘constant surveillance’ and isolated from friends and family.
‘While employing such tactics, Daedone and Cherwitz demanded absolute commitment to the CEO, including by exalting Daedone’s teachings and ideology,’ the Justice Department said in a statement.
It is claimed that Daedone was a ‘messianic’ figure at the center of the conspiracy.
Daedone has previously denied that she ran a sex cult, telling the Mail on Sunday last year: ‘I want to continue the work of getting OM into the world’
In December, Daedone illustrated the intimate hands-on techniques on her associate Cherwitz, who lay naked on a raised table in front of an audience of 200
The company used to have several buildings in San Francisco, including a cafe, an events space and communal housing known as ‘OM houses’ where between 30-40 staff would live together. Pictured, one of the properties once used as OneTaste dormitories
‘As part of this ideology, Daedone and Cherwitz instructed the OneTaste members to engage in sexual acts — including acts the members found uncomfortable or repulsive — as a requirement to supposedly obtain freedom and enlightenment and demonstrate their commitment to OneTaste and Daedone,’ the statement added.
Prosecutors say they extracted forced labor from group members who were subjected to ‘economic, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse, surveillance, indoctrination, and intimidation.’
OneTaste and current CEO Ayer are not accused of wrongdoing, with Ayer telling DailyMail.com: ‘We have cooperated with the Eastern District of New York throughout the investigation.
‘We are appalled by this long-term, misogynistic, media-driven campaign to tear down a feminine empowerment project and the women who devoted their lives to it,’ she said.
‘OneTaste is a women-led organization that has devoted itself to wellness, healing, inclusion and personal growth, and has always focused on female empowerment at its core,’ the statement added.
Prosecutors say that when members could no longer afford OneTaste classes, they were pressured to take on debt, and that at times Daedone and Cherwitz even assisted them in opening new credit cards.
At one point, OneTaste operated centers in cities including New York, San Francisco, Denver, Las Vegas, Boulder, Los Angeles, Austin and London.
In New York City, OneTaste leased residences and hosted events in several different locations, including in Brooklyn and the Manhattan neighborhoods of Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen, Soho and West Village.
‘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, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
‘This prosecution should serve as a reminder to both employer and employee that no matter the marketing mantra, this conduct is never acceptable,’ added Peace.
Daedone has previously denied that she ran a sex cult, telling the Mail on Sunday last year: ‘I want to continue the work of getting OM into the world. It is such a powerful practice and we have a world that is so starved of something that will bring a fundamental connection.’
Following the disturbing allegations that emerged in a 2018 Bloomberg report, Daedone has mostly maintained a low profile, and OneTaste all but disappeared from public view.
