Trial opens in sex-trafficking case against self-help guru

In this April 13, 2018 courtroom sketch Keith Raniere, second from right, leader of the secretive group NXIVM, attends a hearing at court in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Raniere has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of forming a secret society within his organization that forced women to have sex with him. Opening arguments begin Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Image: Elizabeth Williams via AP

NEW YORK — A New York City jury is set to hear opening statements and testimony at the sex-trafficking case against a self-help guru.

The trial beginning Tuesday is expected to feature testimony from women who claim they were forced to have sex with Keith Raniere. He’s the former leader of an upstate New York group called NXIVM that’s been likened to a cult.

Raniere has pleaded not guilty and denied the charges. His lawyers said his relationships with the alleged victims were consensual.

The defendant was captured last year on a U.S. warrant in Mexico. That’s where he fled after sensational news reports about a secret society within his group that branded his so-called sex slaves with his initials.

Five of Raniere’s co-defendants, including TV actress Allison Mack, have pleaded guilty. /kga