Nicole Daedone: Wellness Firm CEO Guilty Of Forcing Employees Into Sex Acts
Nicole Daedone, the founder and CEO of the controversial sexual wellness brand OneTaste, was convicted on Monday by a New York jury of conspiracy to commit forced labour. Alongside her, Rachel Cherwitz, the former head of sales and Daedone's close aide, was also found guilty.
Jurors sided with prosecutors who alleged that Daedone and Cherwitz manipulated vulnerable members and employees into unpaid labour and forced sexual acts under the guise of "healing" and "empowerment."
Brooklyn US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr called the duo "grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims, by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labour and services" for their benefit.
OneTaste, started in San Francisco in 2004, claimed to be a sexual wellness brand offering expensive retreats and courses. But prosecutors said it was actually run like a cult, where people were forced to work without pay and take part in sexual acts.
Who Is Nicole Daedone?
Nicole Daedone was born in Los Gatos, California. She was raised by a single mother. She graduated in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in gender communications and semantics from San Francisco State University. After college, she opened an art gallery, worked as a waitress, and briefly as a stripper and escort, she told The Times.
She studied yoga and Zen meditation. She lived for two years at 'The Welcomed Consensus', a group known for its focus on "gourmet sex."
In 2004, Nicole Daedone co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco along with Robert Kandell. OneTaste offered expensive sexual wellness retreats and classes based on a practice called "Orgasmic Meditation", which the company trademarked.
In 2012, she published her first book, Slow Sex, comparing mindful sexuality to the Slow Food movement. She later published The Eros Sutras, a multi-volume series that lays out her beliefs on sex, relationships, and justice.
In 2002, Nicole Daedone co-founded Unconditional Freedom, a nonprofit that helps inmates through meditation and writing programmes.
In 2015, OneTaste paid $325,000 to settle a labour dispute with a former employee, raising early red flags. In 2018, a Bloomberg expose revealed deeper allegations of abuse and misconduct. That same year, the FBI began investigating the company for sex trafficking, prostitution, and labour violations. By the end of 2018, OneTaste shut down all in-person classes and US offices.
In June 2023, Nicole Daedone was indicted for forced labour conspiracy. Her trial began in May, and she was found guilty on June 10. She faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing set for September 26.
Nicole Daedone was featured in the 2022 Netflix documentary Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste.
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The founder of sexual wellness company, OneTaste Inc., and its former sales head have been convicted of forced labour charges by a Brooklyn court. The California-based company promoted 'orgasmic meditation', or 'OM', which was carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting. Following a five-week trial, the court on Monday found Nicole Daedone, 57, founder of OneTaste, and Rachel Cherwitz, 44, the former sales director, guilty after deliberating for less than two days, reported news agency AP. The two accused could face up to 20 years in prison. During the case hearing, prosecutors argued that Nicole and Rachel ran a years-long scheme that groomed adherents, many of them victims of sexual trauma, to do their bidding, the AP report said. The two women used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts such as having sex with prospective investors or clients. Assistant US Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants 'built a business on the backs' of victims who 'gave everything' to them, including 'their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity,' according to the AP report. 'The jury's verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants' benefit,' said Joseph Nocella, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Nicole Daedone of New York co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection. Portrayed as a cutting-edge enterprise that prioritised women's sexual pleasure, the sexual wellness company generated revenue by providing courses, coaching, OM events, and other sexual practices for a fee. OneTaste enjoyed glowing media coverage in the 2010s and quickly opened centres from Los Angeles to London. Nicole sold her stake in OneTaste in 2017 for $12 million, a year before the company's marketing and labour practices were criticised. OneTaste's current owners, who have rebranded it as the Institute of OM Foundation, said its work has been misconstrued, and the charges against its former executives were unjustified.
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Who is Nicole Daedone, the woman accused of forcing employees into sexual acts?
The founder of sexual wellness company, OneTaste Inc., and its former sales head have been convicted of forced labour charges by a Brooklyn court. The California-based company promoted 'orgasmic meditation', or 'OM', which was carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting. Following a five-week trial, the court on Monday found Nicole Daedone, 57, founder of OneTaste, and Rachel Cherwitz, 44, the former sales director, guilty after deliberating for less than two days, reports said. The two accused could face up to 20 years in prison. During the case hearing, prosecutors argued that Nicole and Rachel ran a years-long scheme that groomed adherents, many of them victims of sexual trauma, to do their bidding. The two women used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts such as having sex with prospective investors or clients. Assistant US Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants 'built a business on the backs' of victims who 'gave everything' to them, including 'their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity.' 'The jury's verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants' benefit,' said Joseph Nocella, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Nicole Daedone of New York co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection. Portrayed as a cutting-edge enterprise that prioritised women's sexual pleasure, the sexual wellness company generated revenue by providing courses, coaching, OM events, and other sexual practices for a fee. OneTaste enjoyed glowing media coverage in the 2010s and quickly opened centres from Los Angeles to London. Nicole sold her stake in OneTaste in 2017 for $12 million, a year before the company's marketing and labour practices were criticised. OneTaste's current owners, who have rebranded it as the Institute of OM Foundation, said its work has been misconstrued, and the charges against its former executives were unjustified. They also said sexual consent has always been a cornerstone of the organisation.
