New York, May 18: Keith Raniere, the founder and leader of an alleged New York sex cult, used to hold meetings in which female "slaves" gathered naked on the floor around him, a witness told jurors in federal court in Brooklyn. Keith Raniere is accused of forcing female members of his cult, DOS, to have sex with him, follow dangerously restrictive diets and obey his every command.

Lauren Salzman, a former "slave" of the sex cult, said Raniere would attend the naked meetings fully clothed. He would ask "slaves" to send their naked pictures to him when he couldn't attend the meetings in person, Salzman revealed. "We were to look uniform and happy," the 42-year-old victim told jurors, as reported by news agency Reuters. Teachers at the sex cult portrayed Raniere as "some kind of god", she said. US Liquor Heiress Pleads Guilty in Sex Cult Case.

Raniere faces charges including sex trafficking and child pornography for allegedly using his self-help group, Nxivm, to hide his cult. Salzman, whose mother, Nancy, served as Nxivm's president, was a "first-line slave" within DOS. She also had slaves of her own. Other "first-line slaves" have also come out alleging sexual exploitation by Raniere.

Salzman first met Raniere through her mother in 1998, when she was 21, and soon began a sexual relationship with him that lasted for years. According to Salzman, Raniere examined how she looked in her underwear before starting a sexual relationship. He told her she should weigh 100 pounds, Salzman said. She said Raniere would have sexual relations with other women but forbade Salzman from dating anyone else.

Salzman and her mother previously pleaded guilty to her part in Raniere's crimes. She also revealed how she, Raniere and others held a woman captive inside a room for two years under the threat of sending her back to her native Mexico.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2019 09:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).